On Saturday, March 12, 2016, Leonard E. White, PhD, Associate Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Division, was awarded the 2016 Preclinical Golden Apple Award from the Davison Council.
This award is given in recognition and appreciation of outstanding dedication to medical student education. The Golden Apple is the most prestigious teaching award given by the medical school student body. Three awards are given each year: one each to a preclinical faculty member, a clinical faculty member, and a housestaff member.
To be selected for this award, Dr. White was nominated by students and received the most votes in a student body-wide ballot. This year, over 100 outstanding individuals were nominated for a Golden Apple, highlighting its competitiveness and speaking highly to Dr. White’s skills, motivation, and dedication as an educator.
Congratulations to Dr. White on this incredible achievement.
Dr. White,
I am so thrilled that you have been recognized for your generous contribution to learners such as myself. You are a professor that no doubt, thousands of us will remember as one of the all-time most influential. It has been a privilege and an honor to learn from you, and I hope that you are able to encourage and inspire many more students in years to come. You truly have a gift–thank you for sharing it!
A well deserved award. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Coursera medical neuroscience course. It is a very challenging course, but Len White put across the information very well and has a thorough and caring manner. Well done and thanks for all your hard work in putting the course together – very much appreciated!
Congratulations Dr White! As a retired Speech and Language pathologist, poorly equipped for the biochemistry aspects of the course, I was never able to complete the class but LOVED it! You are a great instructor, practical about application, generous with your time and creativity and I enjoyed every minute! I always looked forward to the time I was able to devote to the lectures and assignments and I am so glad you have been so justly recognized.
Congratulations, Professor White…You deserve it, and the best instructor, & course ever, Thanks!!!
Recently I had the pleasure of taking the online MOOC Learn Medical Neuroscience under Professor Len White. What a pleasure to put forth all effort to learn fromr this man. Having devoted my life to knowing good teachers and good teaching techniques, I can say he deserves all accolades bestowed upon him for his pedagogical prowess. A true gem! Congratulations Dr. White! Well earned and well done!
Congrats. amazing medical neuroscience course.
S.03.19.2016
(A day before the final day of the Medical Neuroscience course is all over.)
Our Dear Professor White:)
Congratulations! We are so happy for you!! To us, you have exceeded and surpassed the standards of the Golden Apple! You have won our hearts and brains:)
It is also wonderful to say that Professor White, your output of these excitatory neurons have made my neuronal pathways extended….more than a mile long?
Hope that will make you SMILE!
This Medical Neuroscience course has definitely changed my personhood. With the much that I have learned, I am more sensitive and compassionate as a person and an educator to the other fellows who may encounter the dysfunctions, disorders or diseases at high or low levels.
Though not a M.D., but more than definitely I will continue to pursue toward my next goal, Neuroscience and Education, Ed.D. and encourage on the synapses to inspire and lead the younger generations to become the “neuro-logists”. I, personally could not have done it without the outpouring of your love of neuroscience and the aspiration of seeing us continuing to explore and ignite the paths to better the humanity, globally.
THANK YOU so much, Professor White and the rest of your staff, especially Mrs. Vos-Weisse.
With much unending appreciations and Grace to you,
Jubilee Chang,
Whole-Child Educator
I’m not surprised, but super relieved. In my educational history, yes, I’ve had great teachers, great professors—some thorough, some humble, all passionate and professional. Yet, when I took Medical Neuroscience (via Coursera) with Dr. White, I was just so delightfully surprised how this knowledge that I anticipated taking a long road to master just stuck with me in the minimum effort on my part. In this course, I never took notes (although followed his advice on making things visual)! All my notes are in my brain in the form of Dr. White’s words and advice. (He provides his own notes, which are tremendously reinforcing.) I never felt talked down too. His every word is understandable; every thought is meaningful; every example and hand gesture is necessary; every answer anticipates student’s thinking. Repetition, I was told, is important in teaching, and Dr. White perfected it by attacking the same topic always from a fresh, stimulating perspective. He manages to understand each of our questions better than we express so ourselves! Basically, Dr. White’s teaching checks off any quality of ideal educators, and people like that should be rewarded. We, the students, are so proud!
That can only be natural given all the talents and dedication you have to nourish our brain. Congratulations Pr Leonard……….Congrats
Dear Prof. White:
PARABENS!
Congratulations for your outstanding work.
Wishing all the best for the future.
Kind Regards,
Joana Miranda
Thanks, everyone, for your kind and gracious remarks!
Congratulations for this very well deserved award.
It has been an absolute privilege to learn Medical Neuroscience from a born educator.
Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours!
Maria Egervari from Toronto
Congratulations Doctor White!
I’ve enjoyed learning through your Coursera course so much so that I will continue until I finish it someday! I think we’ll all miss that little extra personal touch you’ve provided in the session based format. Hopefully, for all of your future Coursera students, your exuberance and dedication have reached critical mass and will survive the transition to the on-demand platform!
Kudos to you on your student/peer recognition. Thanks for all you do.
Congratulations for such a dedication to science and teaching, Prof !
I’ve been taking you MOOC and I’m fascinated by the way you make such a huge amount of knowledge quite understandable for anyone.
Dear Professor White,
I want to express my very personal and deep felt gratitude and acknowledgement! It has truly been an honor and privilege to being teached by such an enthusiastic and proficient Professor!
Dr.White you’ve struck me, because you taught me so much in such short time. You’ve come across as one of the most sympathetic, respectful, inspiring, wise, warm, personal, present and stoic calm persons (the list is inadequate), I’ve ever encountered – and I haven’t even met you live! (and for being stoic – you mentioned that about your son at a time, when talking about facial expressions I believe – the apple doesn’t fall far…). Yes, you’re right when saying that gaining knowledge is thanks to our own hard work and efforts. Indeed! However, the source our knowledge is nourished from, is of utmost importance!
The way the tutorials were split up in short sections with you explaining, showing diagrams, depictions and most appreciated – real brain speciments in the lab (which was so rewarding and very fascinating!). How we could rewind all we needed (not a privilege during regular lectures with professors). How you clearly articulated complex matters. How topics were boiled down in tutorial notes, provided with Sylvius and a great text book. The wonderful opportunity to talk, listen and connect with others worldwide, who share the same passion on the Hangouts. Thanks to all this, I’ve now hooked up with new interesting people that I can discuss matters with, that my close surroundings get tired of hearing me talk about:-) Thanks to all this, I’m now pursuing my dream about working with neuroscience! Thanks to your educational contribution, I’ve connected with a worldwide community – that alone is quite an accomplishment. I am truly proud of having learned from you!
At the risk of sounding líke a stalker; Dr.White, I hope to meet you in person one day. I noticed, you told Ariane on Hangout 2, you’re going to lecture in Paris this spring – I would also love to meet for coffee!
Judging from all the acknowledgement and appreciation here, it clearly tells, why you are rewarded! We are many devoted students, who agree with you deserving the Golden Apple Award:-)
The warmest regards,
Grace de Malona Eriksen
Respected prof. White
I express my sincere thanks and gratitude to you , I am lucky enough to be a distance learning student of neuroscience. Your way of teaching is marvelous.God bless you. This award is nothing . In future you will receive many such awards.God bless you and your family as well as your mentor.
My sincere regards
Dr Rishipalsingh
Dear Prof. White – very well deserved. Your on line course is a hugely interesting and detailed. It really bring the brain to life
I do hope one year to join in the Saturday am run at Dukes but that maybe some time away.