Drs. Martina Murphy and Chris Giordano named 2024 Teachers of the Year
The awards recognize excellence in clinical and foundational science teaching at the college
May 14, 2024 — Two UF College of Medicine educators were recently honored with prestigious awards for their teaching.
College of Medicine students recognized Martina Murphy, M.D., of the department of medicine as the 2024 Basic Science Teacher of the Year and Christopher Giordano, M.D., of the department of anesthesiology as the 2024 Clinical Teacher of the Year. The awards were announced April 29 at a reception for UF faculty at the Earl and Christy Powell University House.
Meet Dr. Murphy
Martina Murphy, M.D.
An associate professor in the division of hematology and oncology, Murphy specializes in caring for patients with gynecologic malignancies, with her research focused on equitable and accurate health care communication across the oncology spectrum.
She is involved on a national level in research and initiatives related to mentorship, career, and professional development, and novel curriculum development. Murphy is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, and is a graduate of the ASCO Educational Scholars Program. She serves as the vice chair for mentorship in ASCO’s Medical Education Community of Practice.
At UF, she serves as the program director for the UF hematology/oncology fellowship program and the assistant director for clinical education for the UF Health Cancer Center. Prior to joining the faculty, Murphy received her medical degree from UF in 2009 and completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology and oncology.
She has received numerous teaching awards throughout the years, including the Exemplary Teacher Award from the college in 2019 and the Leonard Tow Award from the Gold Humanism Society in 2022. Most recently, the hematology/oncology fellowship program, which she leads, was named the UF Graduate Medical Education Program of the Year for 2024.
Murphy credits her parents as inspiration for her academic career. Her mother and father both received the Dissertation Mentoring Award from the same UF faculty award reception in past years.
Murphy (center) with her parents, Bauer Russell, Ph.D., ABPP, a professor emeritus in the College of Public Health and Health Professions, and Dawn Bowers, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, a professor in the College of Public Health and Health Professions.
Meet Dr. Giordano
Christopher Giordano, M.D.
A professor in the department of anesthesiology, Giordano works closely with the transplant committee to direct safe, high-quality care for all liver transplant candidates.
On a regional scale, Giordano serves as president of the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists, an educational, research, and scientific association of physicians organized to raise and maintain the standards of anesthesiology and improve care for patients.
At UF, he serves as chief of the division of liver and transplant anesthesiology and director of the anesthesiology/critical care clerkship. During his tenure, he has expanded the clerkship’s scope and developed a classroom model that emphasizes hands-on simulations. Prior to joining the faculty, Giordano received his medical degree from the University of South Florida, pursued residency training in anesthesiology at the University of Alabama, and completed a fellowship in liver transplantation at UF in 2009.
He has earned several accolades throughout his career, including the Exemplary Teacher Award from the college annually from 2013 to 2021, the Distinguished Educator in Anesthesiology Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists in 2019, and the Hippocratic Award from the graduating class of medical students at the college in 2019.
