In This Section:
Recognizing a gift for teaching medicine - Richard Zeff, medicine
Working to educate the entire family - Karen Arms, family studies

Richard Zeff uses a hands-on approach to teach modern methods

Photo: Peter Morenus

Richard Zeff, associate professor of pathology at the UConn School of Medicine, was selected by students to receive the Charles N. Loeser Award for Teaching Excellence for the third time.

Richard Zeff, an associate professor of pathology in the School of Medicine, thinks he has the perfect job as a faculty member at the UConn Health Center. His students agree, having voted him the 2003 Charles N. Loeser Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Basic Medical Sciences, the third time he has been so honored.

“He’s a dynamic speaker,” says Jamie Roach, a fourth year medical student. “He knows what he’s talking about, and he has the ability to convey information. He cares about each student, and he makes sure students are enjoying the process of learning.”

Zeff teaches immunology the same way he has for the past 16 years, drawing on a chalkboard not to be old fashioned but because it helps students to better understand the complex subject matter they must learn.

“I use schematics in talking about immunology,” he says. “The students get visual images and pathways of the various components and features at the board. You can provide a lot of information in a sketch. Students can see and appreciate where the pieces fit in, and they can make sense of very complex biological processes.”

There is more to excellent teaching than chalk on slate. Zeff is thoughtful in his approach, which starts with the questions: “What do the students need to know?” and “What do I need to do to help them learn it?”

“Professor Zeff is a gifted and master teacher,” says Bruce Koeppen, dean for academic affairs and education. “He is able to understand the students’ perspective and anticipate where they will have difficulty. He also encourages students to ask questions. The way Dr. Zeff teaches expands on each step and because he draws, it allows the students’ thought process to catch up with him. It works out very well how he does it.”

Zeff’s interaction with the students is more than just quality teaching time in the classroom. As a member of the admissions committee, he meets many applicants to the School of Medicine, and as a member of the curriculum development committee, he is an integral part of designing the program the students will experience.

“It’s exciting for me when the new students arrive. I really enjoy it,” Zeff says. “My job is to bring to class a level of interest and enthusiasm. It’s vital for a teacher to be in touch with the students' needs but also to be able to instruct them so that they know how to use the information. Successful teachers don’t just share information with students, they help them prepare for their futures.”

With that level of commitment, medical students’ futures are well assured. — Pat Keefe

Understanding all the factors that affect a child's development

Photo: Peter Morenus

Karen Arms, associate professor of family studies, promotes improved early childhood education.

Family studies professor Karen Arms says early childhood development professionals need a paradigm shift when deciding how best to care for the children of Connecticut. And she has just the tools to get them started.

As director of the Institute for Children, Youth and Families at the UConn campus in Stamford, Arms is working to develop curriculum for those now working in the area of early childhood that would combine the expertise of the education, government and health fields and be a resource to these professionals at various stages in their career.

Family studies is an action-oriented discipline that is constantly evolving, she says, as new statistics are released and new studies reported.

Arms says administrators and consultants must learn and embrace new ways of helping children. Many of the traditional outlooks on childhood development have changed, she says. For example, a child’s misbehavior may be health related, chemical imbalance related or education related rather than a simple defiance of authority.

“What looks abnormal may not be abnormal at all,” she says. Professionals must also examine the communities in which they work to understand socioeconomic and cultural factors that also affect a child’s development.

In her classes at the UConn campus in Stamford, Arms already practices her idea of a multifaceted approach to understanding child and also adult development. The learning curve of Arms’ students stretches from visiting area hospitals to study newborns that are three to eight hours old to learning the process of how adults age.

Arms has taught family studies at the collegiate level for about three decades. She was hired by UConn in 1989 as the Stamford campus director. Her training, academic research and passion for healthy childhood development led her to establish the Institute for Children, Youth and Families in 1996. The program has grown and now educates and empowers families and professionals in southwestern Connecticut and throughout the state.

In addition to her work at UConn, Arms also works with many community organizations that assist children and families, such as the United Way of Stamford and the School Readiness Council. Arms also writes a monthly column about parenting for the Stamford Advocate. Educating parents is the first step in improving the development of children, Arms says.

“Families need coaching on what to do and not to do and how,” Arms says. “The parent is the ongoing force in a child’s life. You bring the parent along, the parent brings the children along. You educate the whole family.”
— Peyton Woodson Cooper