Morris Receives Yale Graduate Mentor of the Year Award

06/13/2013

Evan D. Morris, associate professor of diagnostic radiology, psychiatry, and biomedical engineering, is the recipient of the Yale Graduate School's 2013 Mentor Award, the University's principal honor for superb teaching, advising, and mentoring of graduate students.

The award, presented at the Graduate School's Commencement Convocation, recognizes teachers and advisers who have been exceptional in their support of the professional, scholarly, and personal development of their students. It signals the commitment of Yale and the Graduate School to promoting effective and empathetic student guidance.

Awards are given in each of the three academic areas — humanities, social sciences, and sciences — based on anonymous nominations from students.

When nominating Morris, students praised his accessibility and passion for teaching.

"He is extremely accessible for questions and feedback on projects, always prompt to reply to emails, and willing to explain difficult concepts in an understandable manner," one student writes. "Evan listens to the feedback of his students and postdocs as equals, regardless of their experience in the field or time in the lab."

Another student writes, "He is an attentive, enthusiastic mentor, and a natural teacher. I think the best evidence of his success as a mentor is us, his students. Dr. Morris has mentored all of his graduate students to successful careers in and out of academia."

Morris has been working in the field of PET and functional imaging for more than 20 years and joined the Yale PET Center as co-director of the Imaging Section in 2009. He specializes in kinetic modeling of dynamic image data and is currently interested in the use of PET imaging (of people and animals) with neuroreceptor tracers to understand and improve treatments for Parkinson's disease, alcoholism, smoking, and drug abuse.

The award marks the second consecutive time that a biomedical engineering professor has won the award. Hemant Tagare, associate professor of diagnostic radiology, electrical engineering, and biomedical engineering was the 2012 recipient.

To view Morris's acceptance speech, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plb6HBsfH3o.