Two people from the UMKC School of Medicine were honored with awards on April 25 during the Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony at Pierson Auditorium.
Sandra Smith, course coordinator for the School of Medicine Council on Curriculum, was chosen as the winner of this year’s UMKC Staff Council Dedication Award. Darla McCarthy, Ph.D., associate teaching professor and assistant dean for curriculum, received the Elmer F. Pierson Good Teaching Award.
Smith joined the School of Medicine in 2012, working with the school’s Council on Curriculum.
She has served as chair of the UMKC Staff Council’s outreach committee each of the past four years. Smith says she has seen the benefits of participating on the staff council, such as understanding the dynamics that affect university staff and the university community overall.
“Staff council committee members have the opportunity to advocate and assist with making a better work environment for all of the UMKC staff members,” Smith said. “This has helped me to appreciate and value UMKC as a staff member. To promote UMKC in the Kansas City metro area, and create service or sponsored drive opportunities for staff members to take an active part in our local community, is always rewarding.”
The award for dedication recognizes extraordinary contributions of a staff council and staff committee member to the staff council’s goals of making UMKC a workplace of choice for all staff.
The Pierson Award is given annually to outstanding teachers in the Bloch School and the Schools of Dentistry, Law and Medicine.
McCarthy joined the School of Medicine faculty in 2012 as a member of the Department of Basic Medical Sciences. She teaches human biochemistry and lectures in the Human Structure Function series and in the Physician Assistant program.
McCarthy was recently appointed associate dean and serves as a Council on Curriculum liaison to the Year 1-2 advising staff. She also directs the school’s USMLE Step 1 readiness assessment program.
