The Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has announced the recipients of its 2022-23 Excellence in Teaching Awards: Associate Clinical Professor of Occupational Therapy Rosanne DiZazzo-Miller and Associate Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice Amber Lanae Martirosov.

This annual award recognizes WSU Applebaum faculty members – one in Pharmacy and one in Health Sciences – who, to an exceptionally high degree, demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of their subject, superior classroom performance and high educational standards; communicate their subject matter accurately, clearly and effectively; generate enthusiasm and respect for learning; motivate their students to excel; and are accessible to students. It includes a cash prize of $1,000.

"Our college is very lucky to have talented faculty members like Dr. DiZazzo-Miller and Dr. Matirosov who are wholeheartedly dedicated to teaching at the highest level," said WSU Applebaum Dean Brian Cummings. “Special thanks to our taskforce for evaluating all the remarkable nominations.”

Dr. Rosanne DiZazzo-Miller joined the WSU Applebaum Occupational Therapy faculty in 2003 and also serves as director of mentoring for the college’s Division of Health Sciences. This year on a national stage, she was presented with the American Occupational Therapy Association Roster of Fellows Award, one of the highest honors bestowed to occupational therapists who have made a significant contribution to and impact on the profession. She also has been honored with the 2008 EACPHS Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2016 Wayne State University President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, a nomination for the 2010 National Society of Collegiate Scholars Inspire Integrity Award, and a recent WSU Office of Teaching and Learning “Thank-A-Teacher.”

Over the past three years, Dr. DiZazzo-Miller has an average SET score of 13/15 for a total of 56 credit hours of teaching. Current student reviews include these comments: “Dr. D is overall an amazing human being and truly cares about her students. She uses a teaching approach that helps her students gain and recall knowledge learned in class that will help them be productive in the future. Dr. D made a positive impact on our class and I know will continue to be a powerful influence on her students in the future.”

Dr. DiZazzo-Miller’s work on board examination preparation was presented at the inaugural American Occupational Therapy Association Education Summit, she is the author of Preparing for the Occupational Therapy Board Exam: 45 Days and Counting, and she recently designed a synthesis course that covers exam preparation in detail. Wayne State is the only program in Michigan with a five-year consecutive 100% OT board exam pass rate.

In her nomination letter, Health Care Sciences Department Chair Diane Adamo wrote: “Dr. DiZazzo-Miller is dedicated to the art and science of education. This award reflects the high value she places on student feedback and the care she takes to teach wisely at the program, college and national levels, significantly benefiting many students, faculty, clinicians and administrators.”  

Dr. Amber Lanae Martirosov joined the WSU Applebaum Pharmacy Practice faculty in 2013. Teaching students in all four years of the curriculum both didactically and experientially, she contributes to multiple courses on topics consistent with her background in ambulatory care, and she was a key collaborator in the creation of the PharmD program’s new Ambulatory Care Concentration. 

As a way to teach students to have a greater level of empathy for their patients, Dr. Martirosov includes an assignment requiring the students to walk a week in a patient’s footsteps, both through completing a prescription regimen and adhering to a physical restriction. Students have shared that this experience changes how they communicate with patients about treatment expectations. She also includes students and residents in her practice-related scholarship and has authored several publications that report original findings related to the scholarship of teaching and learning.

In her nomination letter, Department of Pharmacy Practice Chair Lynette Moser wrote, “Dr. Martiosov personifies the philosophy of serving as a mentor and coach to her students, investing countless hours to provide an example and feedback to the students who learn with her in the Henry Ford Health System Pulmonology Clinic.” She has successfully provided a role for students that extends the care of patients, having an impact at both the Henry Ford Health System Pharmacy and Pulmonary Department; subsequently, Dr. Martirosov was asked to be the hospital’s residency program director for the PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency Program. 

Students recognize Dr. Martirosov for being dedicated and enthusiastic, and their comments on teaching evaluations include: “I have never met a more enthusiastic professor who made me want to excel. She holds students responsible, and I felt accountable for the work I was doing. Dr. Martirosov is always available to help. I respect the fact that she is very stern on policies, but also a realistic person and easy to approach. Dr. M was an amazing preceptor. She was supportive and patient and helped cater to the learning to what I wanted out of the rotation. She really takes the time to get to know her students and help them to grow and succeed.”

Moser said, “Dr. Martirosov’s contributions to the education of pharmacy students and pharmacy residents has been exemplary. She is compassionate, innovative, and focuses on creating experiences that are relevant and develop essential skills and abilities in the student. She continuously assesses her methods and outcomes is willing to adjust to gain maximum effectiveness as a teacher.”

Taskforce

• Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Randall Commissaris (2021-22 award recipient)
• Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Nora Fritz 
• Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Andrew Moul
• Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice Dennis Parker 
• Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Joseph Roche (2021-22 award recipient)
• Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice Aline Saad