[August 3, 2017] Rocky Vista University (RVU) is pleased to announce that Jennifer Montemayor, PhD, Phase Director for Year 2 Curriculum and Associate Professor of Physiology, was awarded the Faculty Innovation Award.

The Faculty Innovation Award was established by Clinton E. Adams, DO, FACHE, RVU President and CEO, in 2017 to honor RVU faculty for their outstanding achievements in academic excellence. Each year, it recognizes a professor who is recognized by his or her peers for their academic discipline, who is highly regarded by the students, who has achieved excellence in service and academic scholarship, and who exemplifies RVU’s core values.

As the first recipient of this award, Dr. Montemayor has set the bar high for others to follow. She received her PhD in Biological Sciences from Ohio University, where her area of research was skeletal muscle biology. Since coming to RVU in 2010, she has developed an increased interest in educational scholarship and has been involved in a diverse range of innovative medical education projects. Most recently, she developed the “flipped classroom” model of curriculum delivery which engages students in a higher-level, more active educational setting. Over the years, she has participated in committees that emphasized the importance of research among students and faculty, as well as the pursuit of further developing faculty education.

“Dr. Montemayor has excelled in solidifying these many ideas and initiatives into our core curriculum,” said Dr. Adams. “She has taken the lead in innovative thinking about how to challenge our students to be critical thinkers and self-motivated lifelong learners. Her leadership is moving us out of the historic hall of the large auditorium to the small breakout sessions.”

Dr. Montemayor received the Faculty Innovation Award during the University’s White Coat Ceremony on July 21, 2017.