CHS Professor Recognized Nationally For Teaching Excellence

Jose Cordero, chair of the Association of Schools of Public Health practice committee, presented Bernard Turnock with the 2008 Faculty Award for Excellence in Academic Public Health Practice at the annual ASPH meeting reception in San Diego, CA.

Turnock, who is director of the community health sciences division at the University of Illinios at Chicago School of Public Health, has taught an introductory public health course to more than 3,000 students, including more than 1,500 in a completely online format, while his textbooks have been used by nearly 40,000 public health students since 1997.

Turnock was described as an innovator in teaching methods and widely considered an expert in online learning and instruction. He has also designed and taught more than 60 online continuing education courses that have served more than 2,000 public health practitioners.

Turnock is the architect of the new DrPH in Public Health Leadership program at the UIC SPH and an active collaborator in the public health leadership development program and public health training center operating from UIC. He has played major roles in a wide variety of public policy and public health issues in Illinois since 1978, having served as a member of the state board of health, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, and as president of the Illinois public health association.

Turnock’s nominator, Sylvia Furner, associate professor of epidemiology at the UIC SPH, wrote: “From the time he joined the UIC School of Public Health in 1990, he has led virtually all our efforts in scholarly public health practice. His major impact in academic public health is evidenced by the widespread use of the textbooks he has written, the frequency with which his advice is sought, and the number of public health workers he has taught.”

The annual ASPH awards recognize graduate public health faculty members from full ASPH-member, accredited schools of public health, who are notable for teaching and practice excellence.

-- Tina Daniel

The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) honors Bernard Turnock, PhD, director of the community health sciences division.