Elaine Hart, MD, assistant professor and director, OB-GYN student clerkship program, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, received the 2016 Kinzer-Rice Award for Excellence in University Teaching during a Feb. 4 evening ceremony in the Centennial Complex.
Hart, whose teaching philosophy grows out of a natural love for people and her enthusiasm for her chosen profession, was nominated for the honor by a former student.
“I like to get to know my students, to find out what brought them into medicine, to learn what is their passion,” she says. “I know they don’t all want to choose OB-GYN for their careers, but I want it to be a great rotation for them. I want them to refer back to what they learned so they may better care for pregnant or lactating patients.”
Caring for OB-GYN patients was a passion of Hart’s long before she became a physician.
“I went to medical school after a career in nursing,” she reveals. “I completed two years of medical/surgical nursing and telemetry, and the rest of my 19-year nursing career was spent in labor and delivery and home care of high-risk pregnancy patients.”
Hart maintains an active family life. With a total of five children (three of whom grew up to be nurses), five grandchildren and two more on the way, life is never boring.
Some of the enthusiasm Hart brings to the role of mentoring future physicians spills over when she describes what she likes best about teaching.
“I love it when a student comes up to me and says, ‘Dr. Hart, I really didn’t know what to think about facing an OB-GYN rotation,’” she reveals. “’But I learned a lot and had a great time.’
“They may have been a little bit petrified at first,” she concludes, “but they come away having had a good experience. I love when that happens!”
Hart makes no attempt to conceal her excitement on becoming the fifth Kinzer-Rice award recipient in the history of the university. “It is incredible,” she beams. “I am honored! There are so many others equally as deserving as I. It is exciting to represent the School of Medicine.”
The purpose of the Kinzer-Rice Award is to call attention to the importance of teaching in the life of Loma Linda University and to honor a full-time faculty member every two years who exemplifies the finest traditions of education. Faculty members from all eight Loma Linda University schools are eligible for the reward, which is named after deceased School of Dentistry faculty members Drs. Robert Kinzer and Bruce Rice.
A video created for the Feb. 4 award ceremony may be viewed here.