Congratulation, Dr. Yana Cen – Bertha Rolfe Teacher of the Year 2024!
It is my pleasure to inform you that Dr. Yana Cen was awarded the Bertha Rolfe Teacher of the Year award at the recent graduation ceremony of the School. This is a major accolade from all the students, especially on the PharmD side, and recognizes her teaching skills. It is rare for Department faculty members to win the overall teaching award of the School because our teaching contributions to the PharmD program are much lower than other departments. Given this background, this award means a lot in terms of Dr. Cen’s efforts and contributions. Some of the comments that were made in support of Dr. Cen are as below. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Cen!! – Umesh
- I can’t speak for the professors in the other departments, but Dr. Cen is an amazing teacher. You can tell she really loves and enjoys her job, which translates to her research and lectures. She’s willing to spend extra time to help her students understand a concept. I truly believe that she is one of the best professors in the SOP.
- I voted for Dr. Cen because she helped teach us P1’s the best for Med Chem, which is a difficult subject. I know numerous times she sat down with us, one time in Smith Lobby, to help us understand difficult concepts.
- When I think of the word devotion in the dictionary, my mind immediately goes to Dr. Cen. I love that she takes the time to work out problems in class. She utilizes the smaller board in class to show arrow pushing, and explains concepts that other professors would just point to using the cursor. She is also always open to suggestions from the class. Dr. Cen goes in depth with her review sessions and I love that her exam is more of “from what I have taught you, show me how you can apply it here”. This helps us think critically and show our understanding of the concepts. I remember when a few of my classmates were in Smith, struggling to understand a concept from a different professor in MedChem. We saw her passing through, and asked if she could help us. Dr. Cen had an appointment but still sat down with us for a few minutes to help us understand a little bit. She even went as far as coming back to Smith the next day during lunch to teach us the concept, and did not leave until we were all able to explain the concept to her. I did very well on that exam thanks to her. Dr. Cen’s devotion and love for her students is admirable, and I cannot think of another professor who would go the extra mile like she has done for us. She deserves this award.
- Dr. Cen is proof that even though you are teaching a difficult class, doesn’t mean that when you teach it your students have to be confused and having a hard time understanding the content. Dr. Cen is a fantastic professor who not only knows her material well but teaches it in a way that is easily understandable and digestible to those who have no prior background to it. Dr. Cen has been one of the best chemistry professors I’ve ever had. She is also fair and understanding. P1s are lucky to have her be one of the first professors they are introduced to.