Department Awards
Dean's Award for Excellence in Biomedical Graduate Student Training
Dr. Dan Kessler is an associate professor in the department of cell and developmental biology. He received his BS in biology and genetics at Cornell University in 1986 and his PhD in molecular biology at Rockefeller University in 1990. He came to Penn in 1995 as an assistant professor to the same department. Dr. Kessler's lab researches Signal Transduction and Transcriptional Regulation in the Vertebrate Embryo. He is a member of the cell and molecular biology graduate group in the developmental biology program, to which he is also the program chair, and the neuroscience graduate group. He currently serves as the educational director for the Center of Excellence for Regenerative Medicine here at Penn. According to his peers and students, Dr. Kessler is an outstanding teacher and mentor who has an infectious enthusiasm for research and teaching, as well as a remarkable dedication to his graduate students.
MSG Basic Science Teaching Award
Dr. James White is an adjunct associate professor of cell and developmental biology in the School of Medicine where he teaches a number of introductory courses including gross anatomy. Dr. White also teaches neuroscience and histology. He is universally praised as a great teacher whose excellent skills span the lecture room and the laboratory. One student describes his anatomy class as an "interactive learning journey throughout the human body." Another references Dr. White's "dynamic style," "his commitment to transferring enthusiasm" and "his genuine warmth" as evidence of his great "collection of skills" as a teacher. A colleague says that despite the overwhelming amount of material, Dr. White "does not 'spoon feed' our students; he gives them the tools and the confidence to learn independently."
