ZOETIS DISTINGUISHED TEACHER AWARD GARY LAWSON / UNIVERSITY MARKETING “THE BEAUTY OF THIS POSITION IS I STILL HAVE MY PATIENTS AND MY CLIENTS, SO ALL THAT I HAD IN PRIVATE PRACTICE I STILL HAVE HERE, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, I GET THAT FEELING OF GIVING BACK TO MY PROFESSION AND MY SPECIALTY BECAUSE I GET TO TEACH STUDENTS OPHTHALMOLOGY.” 38 Center for <strong>Vet</strong>erinary Health Sciences
<strong>2015</strong>: Margi Gilmour, DVM, DACVO A teacher can be defined as a person who shares information or a specific skill. But Margi Gilmour, DVM, DACVO, a veterinarian and professor at Oklahoma State University’s Center for <strong>Vet</strong>erinary Health Sciences, takes the title of teacher to a different level. “For me, the first thing, I want to have a rapport with the students and they understand I see them as colleagues and we are in this together,” says Gilmour. “Secondly, I want them to understand the value of what I’m going to teach them. I explain why it is important they know ophthalmology and what it means for them as practitioners and why it is worth them to invest a lot of time and energy in this course because I am going to ask them to do that and then make the subject very relevant.” She calls her teaching philosophy fairly simple. She wants her students to walk away from the class with two things: confidence and competence. “The students’ goals for the core (ophthalmology) class is to be confident and competent in performing an ophthalmic examination, … and be able to come up with a diagnosis,” she says. “But most importantly, the first key is giving these students the confidence and competence to do that initial eye exam. You have to be comfortable with that.” Gilmour didn’t head straight back to the classroom after graduating with her veterinary degree from Michigan State University. Instead, she worked in private practice for several years before realizing she missed teaching students. She found the perfect fit at OSU’s CVHS, where she has been for 14 years. “The beauty of this position is I still have my patients and my clients, so all that I had in private practice I still have here, but in addition to that, I get that feeling of giving back to my profession and my specialty because I get to teach students ophthalmology,” says Gilmour. “OSU didn’t have a very developed ophthalmology department at that time, so the idea of being able to come in and be on the ground floor of that was really exciting to me.” Gilmour realizes not all of her students have a passion for ophthalmology like she does. She hopes students realize the importance of eye exams for their patients. “Students are bombarded by a lot of material, and there is so much new information in the medical fields,” says Gilmour. “I don’t want them all to be ophthalmologists. I want them to be very good, solid general practitioners who can do a good eye exam and know the basics.” Gilmour was recognized in <strong>2015</strong> for her achievements and work with students in the classroom with the Zoetis Distinguished Teaching Award. Gilmour says receiving the award makes her feel very humble. “For students to think that I did that good of a job for them, that is just amazing,” says Gilmour. “We all go in, and we all do our best. We have great faculty here, and everyone is interested in teaching and doing a good job, and so to have that honor and to be singled out one year is really special. Because I am in a sea of wonderful instructors, I appreciate it so much.” Since 1963, CVHS has given the Distinguished Teaching Award, sponsored by Zoetis, to a professor nominated by the students and faculty. Winners are selected based on their dedication, character and leadership. Gilmour’s influence expands beyond the classroom, and she keeps in touch with graduates and practicing veterinarians who have taken her classes. “The most exciting aspect for me as a teacher, is when my students who have graduated call me or email me or write me notes about using what they’ve learned in their practice,” says Gilmour. “That just makes it all worth while to me. That to me is the best.” But what’s her favorite part of teaching? She pauses, her face calm before a sparkle reaches her eye and a smile grows. “I always ask my students to give me their goals for the three-week rotation. In the middle of the rotation and at the end of the rotation, we discuss them and make sure the goals are being met,” says Gilmour. “We figure out a way together to work on them so that almost everyone achieves their goals. … That makes me feel good because they have done what I think they should do as well as what they want to do, which gives them that needed confidence.” BY KAROLYN BOLAY <strong>2015</strong> Oklahoma State University 39
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