Texas A&M honors Amanda Davis for undergraduate teaching

Texas A&M University has named Dr. Amanda Davis, a clinical assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, as a 2026 recipient of the University Professorship for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence. The university says the award recognizes faculty with exceptional records in undergraduate teaching and pedagogical innovation. In announcing the honor on May 1, Texas A&M highlighted Davis’ work redesigning physiology courses, building interactive learning tools, and mentoring students across the biomedical sciences pipeline. Faculty Affairs says the professorship is one of the university’s top recognitions for undergraduate teaching, with a three-year term and annual salary and program support. (vetmed.tamu.edu)

Why it matters: For veterinary educators, the recognition underscores how much institutions are rewarding teaching as a strategic priority, not just research output. Davis teaches core physiology content to large numbers of undergraduate students and has also been recognized this year through Texas A&M’s Provost APT Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, suggesting sustained institutional support for course redesign, student-centered instruction, and mentoring that can strengthen the future applicant and trainee pipeline into veterinary and biomedical fields. (facultyaffairs.tamu.edu)

What to watch: Watch for whether Davis’ teaching approaches, including interactive cardiac physiology modules and course redesign work, are scaled more broadly across veterinary and biomedical education at Texas A&M and beyond. (vetmed.tamu.edu)