BUIES CREEK, North Carolina – The Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine announces Dr. Bonnie Benseke, Chair of Biomedical Pathology, was recognized at the Campbell University Faculty and Staff Awards Banquet on Thursday, May 5, 2016 with the 2016 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
“Dr. Brenseke’ s record of research accomplishments and dedication to students as well as her colleagues make her an ideal recipient of the 2016 Excellence in Teaching Award, and I recommended her without reservation” said Dr. John. M. Kauffman, Jr., dean of the medical school.
“I’d like to thank Dean Kauffman for the honor of receiving the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching,” said Brenseke. “As part of the founding faculty here at CUSOM, I am truly proud of all that we have accomplished in such a short time. It has been, and continues to be, a team effort. I am grateful to be part of this team and the larger Campbell University community. Following our motto, I look forward to working together through difficulties to the stars.”
In addition to earning a Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina State University, Dr. Brenseke earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine and completed an Anatomic Pathology Residency at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Virginia Tech. She is board certified with Diplomate status by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.
Prior to arriving at CUSOM, Dr. Brenseke served as Chief Pathology Resident, performing diagnostic services for the hospital, and earned a PhD from Virginia Tech with her research that explored the relationship between maternal nutrition, fetal health, and the development of chronic diseases.
Dr. Brenseke has presented at several professional meetings and has published in multiple peer-reviewed journals. Her research and professional interests include nutrition, maternal-fetal health, chronic disease prevention, toxicologic pathology, and teaching.
Dr. Brenseke tirelessly supports student research and her colleagues as Chair of the Faculty Senate at CUSOM. She founded the Collaborative Anatomy-Pathology Project in answer to student interest in the disease states encountered during first year gross anatomy. With the primary objective of encouraging students to integrate the clinical and basic sciences, CAP Project participants develop case studies based on gross and microscopic findings and emphasize the clinical implications of the disease. In addition, the project fostered interdisciplinary collaboration and taught valuable research, presentation, and design skills to over forty-five students who have participated over the past two years. As founding Chair of the CUSOM Faculty Senate, Dr. Brenseke facilitates a constructive dialogue among the medical school faculty and the administration to identify and address needs and opportunities for collaboration and innovation in curriculum design, teaching, and work flow.
“Dr. Brenseke is an excellent choice of recipient for the Excellence in Teaching Award,” said Maria Campolo (CUSOM 2017). “She is a true example of a teacher who not only is passionate about the subject she teaches, but is invested in the students she teaches as well. Her door is always open if a student needs help with a class or just needs encouragement during their journey through school. As a member of the inaugural medical school class at Campbell, I was concerned about not having mentors or a class above us to help guide us through medical school. But, Dr. Brenseke is a teacher who has always stepped up not just to teach, but to also mentor us as well. She is genuinely interested in getting to know each and every student she teaches and helping them to be the best student they can be. I feel very fortunate to have had Dr. Brenseke as a teacher and mentor during my time at CUSOM and I cannot think of a better recipient for this award!”