CTT About

Teaching in the medical school environment can be enlightening, challenging and rewarding. Whether standing in front of over 200 medical students in the lecture hall or

Dr. Amber Bondurant receives her Courage to Teach book after being inducted by Courage to Teach Board Chair Dr. Matt Skomorowski.
Dr. Amber Bondurant inducted by Dr. Matt Skomorowski.

teaching a small group of students and residents at the bedside, it takes time and commitment to become a teaching member of our faculty.

To honor these dedicated teachers, Dr. Wiley ‘Chip’ Souba, former Dean of the College of Medicine, in collaboration with Dr. Linda Stone founded Courage to Teach in 2009. Finding faculty that have a passion for medical education and a dedication to servant leadership is the mission of this part of the Humanism in Medicine Initiative. Faculty members are recognized with a golden apple pin for their white coat and a copy of Parker Palmer’s book, the Courage to Teach. Members of this prestigious group have been honored through the Faces of Medical Education Project and are featured in medical center media including our Humanism in Medicine website.

The over 250 current Courage to Teach honorees are involved in exploring topics such as technology in education, faculty development support and creating a humanism in medical education community.

In 2012, the CTT Board honored Mary Beth Fontana, MD, by naming the new Master Teacher award for her. Dr. Fontana had created and endowed this program for CTT. You can see the growing list of Master Teachers here.

All of the CTT members focus on ways to mentor emerging medical educators, celebrate medical education accomplishments and find ways to continue to create a more humanistic environment in which to teach and learn. The successes of our many Technology Showcase events are one example of the work being done through CTT.

New in 2017, is the Inaugural Last Lecture Series sponsored by the Medical Heritage Center, Courage to Teach and the OSU Collaborations in the Medical Humanities Board. This event continues each August with a new honoree.

The CTT faculty gathers twice a year for a Dean’s Reception and induction of new members. The CTT Board includes all teaching hospitals in the Columbus area and has members from OSU, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, OhioHealth (Grant, Riverside) and Mount Carmel. In 2019, the Heritage College of Medicine was added to our membership.

Dr. Mary Beth Fontana & the 2022 Master Teachers. Drs. Chris Pierson and Ashley Fernandes.
Dr. Mary Beth Fontana & the 2022 Master Teachers. Drs. Chris Pierson and Ashley Fernandes.