Breadcrumbs

Main page content

Two UT System health educators named 2016 Macy Faculty Scholars

AUSTIN—UT System educators have scored two coveted spots among five Macy Faculty Scholars selected for 2016.

Jing Wang

Jing Wang

“The Macy Faculty Scholars Program showcases the most innovative health educators across the country,” said Raymond Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., UT System’s executive vice chancellor for health affairs. “Having two of our health faculty chosen is a reflection of the many talented educators at UT System’s six health institutions.”

Jing Wang, Ph.D., R.N., an associate professor at UTHealth’s Department of Nursing Systems; and Temple Ratcliffe, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at UT Health Science Center San Antonio, earned the elite recognition for their innovative ideas and commitment to health education.

Wang plans to develop an inter-professional health curriculum to address the increasing use of mobile and connected health technologies. Ratcliffe will build a curriculum that teaches collaborative care — health care focused on teamwork by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others.

Presented by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, the Macy Faculty Scholars Program chose Wang and Ratcliffe from a national candidate pool of 74 medical and nursing educators. The program selects scholars based on their accomplishments, vision and desire to be educational leaders and innovators. Wang and Ratcliffe will each receive up to $100,000 per year from the two-year program and be able to spend at least 50 percent of their time on their projects.

"Having two of our health faculty chosen is a reflection of the many talented educators at UT System’s six health institutions."

Temple Ratcliffe

Temple Ratcliffe

“This is our sixth class of Macy Faculty Scholars and we are enormously pleased with the impact they are having locally and nationally,” said George Thibault, M.D., president of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation. 

“I am truly honored and thrilled to be selected as a 2016 Macy Faculty Scholar and to be the first faculty member from UTHealth to receive this honor,” Wang said.

Ratcliffe said he was “humbled” by his selection and looked forward to working with renowned educators from the Health Science Center, University Hospital and Macy Faculty Scholars community to advance inter-professional education.

Ratcliffe’s goal is to create a cross-disciplinary curriculum that shifts the focus away from a traditional health system that is physician-centric to a collaborative health system where decisions are made through consensus among a team of health care providers.

Wang will work on developing an innovative inter-professional curriculum designed for students at UTHealth’s six health science schools. The curriculum will prepare them for a health care workforce that’s increasingly dependent on mobile and digital technologies. It will also enable students to develop creative solutions to care for underserved populations and independent senior living communities.

About The University of Texas System

Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking basic, applied and clinical research, and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. With 14 institutions and an enrollment of more than 221,000, the UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates almost two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public institutions in Texas. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $16.9 billion (FY 2016) including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With more than 20,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates – and nearly 80,000 health care professionals, researchers, student advisors and support staff, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.

News Contact Information

Jenny LaCoste-Caputo: jcaputo@utsystem.edu  • 512-499-4361(direct) • 512-574-5777 (cell) 
Ken Ma: kma@utsystem.edu  • 512-499-4778 (direct) • 954-621-7961 (cell)