2008 Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Awards

Daniel W. Foster, M.D.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

When it comes to "practicing what you preach"—or even "teach"—there is no better example than Daniel Foster. Devoted to his students, as well as to inculcating in them the highest standards of medical professionalism, Dr. Foster has motivated generations of new physicians at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (UT Southwestern) to improve themselves as well as the lives of their patients.

An alumnus of UT Southwestern himself, Dr. Foster has served on the medical school's faculty for more than four decades, rising through the ranks to become professor and then chair of the department of internal medicine, a position he held for 15 years. Currently, he is John Denis McGarry, Ph.D., Distinguished Chair in Diabetes and Metabolic Research.

In teaching students to honor what one former student calls the "nobility" of the medical profession, Dr. Foster leads by example as a researcher, teacher, and ethicist. A world-renowned researcher in diabetes, he regularly consults the scientific literature when he is unsure of something, demonstrating to students that medical education is a continuous and lifelong process. His knowledge, said students, is both "encyclopedic" and "inspiring."

His dedication to medical education and professionalism is so respected by the UT Southwestern community that the university created an endowed internal medicine chair, as well as a medical ethics lectureship, both in Dr. Foster's name. And, beyond the UT Southwestern campus, he serves by appointment on the President's Council on Bioethics, advising the Bush administration on ethical matters associated with biomedical research, such as stem-cell research.

Dr. Foster's skills as an administrator also led UT Southwestern to appoint him headmaster of its "college" program, one of only a handful of such programs in the nation. This relatively new concept in medical education assigns medical students to small groups, or "colleges," each of which is led by a faculty member for discussions about patient history-taking, ethics, and the experience of being a physician. Because of Dr. Foster's able leadership, this highly successful program has also generated a sense of community on the UT Southwestern campus.

Dr. Foster earned his B.A. degree from Texas Western College of the University of Texas, and graduated first in his UT Southwestern medical school class. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where he also served a year as chief resident.

Dr. Foster's pioneering work on diabetes mellitus changed scientific understanding of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and led to the prevention and treatment of the disease.

A prolific writer, Dr. Foster has published more than 100 research articles, 50 textbook chapters, and the book "A Layman's Guide to Modern Medicine." He also served as co-editor and co-author of three editions of the "Williams Textbook of Endocrinology." He has also held numerous editorships, including his current position on the editorial board of Alpha Omega Alpha's quarterly journal, "The Pharos."

About the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teaching Award

The Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Awards were established by the AOA medical honor society in 1988 to provide national recognition to faculty members who have distinguished themselves in medical student education. The award is named for long-time AOA executive secretary Robert J. Glaser, M.D.

Find out more about the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teaching Award.