The Pilkington Prizes for Teaching 2023 have been awarded in the School of Biological Sciences to Professor Elizabeth Soilleux, Professor of Diagnostics and Biomarkers/ Honorary Consultant in the Department of Pathology, and Dr Angie Tavernor, Veterinary Teaching Associate in the Department of Physiology, Development & Pathology Neuroscience.
The Pilkington Prizes for Teaching Excellence are awarded to individuals who make an outstanding contribution to teaching at the University of Cambridge. They were endowed and inaugurated in 1994 by Sir Alastair Pilkington to acknowledge excellence in teaching and are coordinated by the Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning. The prizes are awarded annually by the Vice-Chancellor.
Elizabeth Soilleux
Professor of Diagnostics and Biomarkers/ Honorary Consultant Pathologist
Department of Pathology
On receiving the award, Prof Elizabeth Soilleux said, “It is a huge honour to be awarded a Pilkington Teaching Prize at the University of Cambridge. It is not an exaggeration to say that my current job is my dream job, working with highly talented and motivated colleagues to deliver teaching to some of the most intelligent and driven students in the UK. The inspirational nature of this environment makes me strive to deliver the most innovative and highest quality teaching material that I can. The recent challenges of COVID also required us as a team to adopt inventive approaches, some of which have turned out to be equally applicable beyond the setting of lockdown.
Beyond expressing my gratitude to the students for their enthusiasm and engagement with the courses, and to my colleagues for their support, advice and encouragement, I’d also like to acknowledge the Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Medical Education courses. My recent two years of part-time study at the Cambridge University Institute of Continuing Education provided a wealth of new ideas and allayed many anxieties about moving away from conventional approaches.”
Angie Tavernor, BVetMed
Veterinary Teaching Associate
Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience
Dr Angie Tavernor said, “I am honoured to be awarded a Pilkington Teaching Prize. It has been a privilege to be involved in the teaching of veterinary students over the last 20 years. I first encounter them as nervous, stary eyed freshers in the first few weeks of their six years course and then watch them metamorphize into confident professionals on graduation. To be part of that journey has been a joy and immensely rewarding. I am part of a dedicated team of educators and professional teaching support staff in veterinary anatomy and would like to thank them all for their support and friendship.
I would like to share this recognition with all those who teach on unestablished contracts in the School of the Biological Sciences.”