Dr. Rebecca Pauly
The UF Association for Academic Women selected Dr. Rebecca Pauly for the 2008 Woman of Distinction Award. Pauly, associate vice president for Health Affairs, Equity and Diversity, was chosen from a list of distinguished nominees who have made significant contributions to women’s quality of life.
The award was presented March 25 during the 11th annual Women’s History Month award celebration. Pauly, who was division chief of internal medicine from 1999-2007, is an associate professor of medicine and the associate chair of medicine for Medical Student Affairs. Pauly stays extremely involved with the faculty’s role in shared governance as president of the COM Faculty Council and chair of the UF Council on Academic Freedom, Quality, and Faculty Welfare. She also is a diplomat with the American Board of Internal Medicine and a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
Pauly was a fellow in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program for Women 2001–2002. Following her nomination by Congressman Cliff Stearns, she was recognized as a Local Legend, an honor “bestowed upon women physicians who have demonstrated commitment, originality, innovation, or creativity in the field of medicine.” She has been the Women’s Liaison Officer for UF to the Association of American Medical Colleges since 2003, and completed a Provost Faculty Fellowship in 2005. Pauly has become involved at the state and national levels, assuming the role of co-chair of the Florida Alliance and being selected to present the Office of Equity and Diversity’s initiatives at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in 2006 and 2007. She recently accepted the invitation to be a member of the 2008-2010 AAMC Women in Medicine Coordinating Committee.
She is course director of Essentials of Patient Care I – IV, a two-year continuum focused on communication, history, physical exam skills and medical decision-making for medical students, and has been recognized with an award for outstanding course organization and as an Exemplary Teacher for the last four years. She was recently invited to Portugal to discuss UF’s approach to teaching these skills. Her research, which centers on development of online teaching tools for the physical exam and medical interview, has been published in the AAMC’s Med Portal.
“Dr. Pauly is an ideal physician, faculty leader, and Health Science Center advocate for the community,” said Nancy S. Hardt, M.D., in nominating Pauly. “The University of Florida and Alachua County benefit from her vision, creativity, and ability to get things done. She has the unique skill of being able to focus on the specifics of an issue, think “outside the box,” inspire, and coordinate activities toward a common goal. Fortunately for women, the goals she has chosen have our particular needs in mind.”
Please congratulate Dr. Rebecca R. Pauly on receiving this well-deserved Woman of Distinction Award.