April 27, 2022 — Sometimes the best way to teach others is to build off your own experience, and that saying is apt for two UF College of Medicine alumni and educators who were recently honored with prestigious awards for their teaching.

College of Medicine students recognized Amanda Maxey, M.D. ’93, as the 2022 Basic Science Teacher of the Year and Ryan Nall, M.D. ’09, as the 2022 Clinical Teacher of the Year. Both are previous Teacher of the Year winners, with Maxey receiving the honor in 2019 and Nall in 2018. The awards were announced at Monday evening’s annual faculty appreciation reception.

Maxey, a research assistant professor in the department of anatomy and cell biology, is an accomplished orthopaedic surgeon who left her busy clinical practice to return to academic medicine, so she could work more closely with students.

“Many of the amazing, dedicated faculty who facilitated my education and transition to practice are still here,” Maxey said. “The opportunity to return to my alma mater and continue to learn from and work alongside faculty who taught me was just too good to be true.”

Nall is an assistant professor and the assistant clerkship director in the division of general internal medicine. His teaching philosophy is simple: care for students above all else.

“I aim to create a safe, comfortable learning environment in which students can thrive,” he said. “I hope to instill in my students a commitment to providing wonderful patient care, teaching them to prioritize the patient above all else. I’m so often inspired by my students’ commitment. They already spend so much time at the bedside, listening to patients and talking with families. I hope they retain how important this is as they become physicians.”