Stritch students honor outstanding educators with annual awards
Stritch Students Honor Outstanding Educators with Annual Awards
Theresa Kristopaitis, MD and Margaret Zhi-Yin Tsien, MD address the Class of 2025 after receiving their awards.
The fourth-year medical students (M4s) at Stritch School of Medicine gathered with family, friends, faculty, and staff for a Match Day celebration on March 21, 2025. As part of the annual program, the M4s honor exceptional faculty members with Outstanding Classroom Educator and Outstanding Clinical Educator awards. Congratulations to the two award recipients!
For more about Match Day: Read about this annual rite of passage and where some of our students matched for residency, or watch the live stream recording to see the festivities in full.
2025 Outstanding Educator Awards
Outstanding Classroom Educator
Theresa Kristopaitis, MD, Associate Dean for Curriculum Integration, Medical Education; Professor, Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine; Director, Mechanisms of Human Disease Course
Rand Abdullatef, a Medical Student Union representative for the class, presented the award. Of Kristopaitis, she said, “She has an excellent ability to combine clinical teaching, and she’s made a lasting impact on our education. She always delivers clear and concise lectures, and she’s always willing to help us and answer our questions in person and over email.”
Abdullatef added, “Students in our class also commented that she goes out of her way to support us in both pre-clinical and clinical settings. We’re really grateful for her passion for teaching, her mentorship and her dedication to our class.”
To the Class of 2025, Kristopaitis said, “I am so honored to be the recipient of this award. Please know that it is a true privilege to contribute to your education.”
After treating the class to a short, sincere, and humorous poem she wrote, Kristopaitis, added, “I wish you joy today and for your many tomorrows as physicians. You will make your Stritch community proud as you grow as healers, educators, and leaders.”
Outstanding Clinical Educator
Margaret Zhi-Yin Tsien, MD, Associate Professor, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics
Trinity Webster, secretary of the class board, presented the award to Dr. Tsien. Of Tsien, she said, “Her energy and enthusiasm make every session worthwhile. And her dedication to teaching is evident in the way she shares clinical insights and guides us through simulations. She has a remarkable ability to turn even the most routine parts of our training into engaging and valuable learning experiences.”
Webster went on to say that Tsien “goes above and beyond to make learning engaging, meaningful, and impactful. And her passion for teaching and commitment to our growth truly set her apart, and we are truly grateful for her guidance.”
To the Class of 2025, Tsien said, “You have spent years at Stritch preparing for this moment, this transition to residency, and I can say very, very confidently that you are all so ready.”
Tsien went on to give students some advice. “The hours are long, and the work can be very hard. You are going to spend a lot of hours in the hospital and in the clinic…but it’s also a really fun and dynamic part of your life and your career. So, keep your foot on the gas pedal, stay curious, stay excited, stay involved. Remember why you went into medicine, and don’t let that go.”
March 2025
The fourth-year medical students (M4s) at Stritch School of Medicine gathered with family, friends, faculty, and staff for a Match Day celebration on March 21, 2025. As part of the annual program, the M4s honor exceptional faculty members with Outstanding Classroom Educator and Outstanding Clinical Educator awards. Congratulations to the two award recipients!
For more about Match Day: Read about this annual rite of passage and where some of our students matched for residency, or watch the live stream recording to see the festivities in full.
2025 Outstanding Educator Awards
Outstanding Classroom Educator
Theresa Kristopaitis, MD, Associate Dean for Curriculum Integration, Medical Education; Professor, Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine; Director, Mechanisms of Human Disease Course
Rand Abdullatef, a Medical Student Union representative for the class, presented the award. Of Kristopaitis, she said, “She has an excellent ability to combine clinical teaching, and she’s made a lasting impact on our education. She always delivers clear and concise lectures, and she’s always willing to help us and answer our questions in person and over email.”
Abdullatef added, “Students in our class also commented that she goes out of her way to support us in both pre-clinical and clinical settings. We’re really grateful for her passion for teaching, her mentorship and her dedication to our class.”
To the Class of 2025, Kristopaitis said, “I am so honored to be the recipient of this award. Please know that it is a true privilege to contribute to your education.”
After treating the class to a short, sincere, and humorous poem she wrote, Kristopaitis, added, “I wish you joy today and for your many tomorrows as physicians. You will make your Stritch community proud as you grow as healers, educators, and leaders.”
Outstanding Clinical Educator
Margaret Zhi-Yin Tsien, MD, Associate Professor, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics
Trinity Webster, secretary of the class board, presented the award to Dr. Tsien. Of Tsien, she said, “Her energy and enthusiasm make every session worthwhile. And her dedication to teaching is evident in the way she shares clinical insights and guides us through simulations. She has a remarkable ability to turn even the most routine parts of our training into engaging and valuable learning experiences.”
Webster went on to say that Tsien “goes above and beyond to make learning engaging, meaningful, and impactful. And her passion for teaching and commitment to our growth truly set her apart, and we are truly grateful for her guidance.”
To the Class of 2025, Tsien said, “You have spent years at Stritch preparing for this moment, this transition to residency, and I can say very, very confidently that you are all so ready.”
Tsien went on to give students some advice. “The hours are long, and the work can be very hard. You are going to spend a lot of hours in the hospital and in the clinic…but it’s also a really fun and dynamic part of your life and your career. So, keep your foot on the gas pedal, stay curious, stay excited, stay involved. Remember why you went into medicine, and don’t let that go.”
March 2025