Teaching staff of the year award in the Faculty of Medicine goes to Lecturer in Functional Morphology Raivo Puhke

The University of Tartu teaching staff of the year 2022 award in the Faculty of Medicine goes to Lecturer in Functional Morphology Raivo Puhke.

Council says that thanks to Raivo Puhke, students have acquired a strong basic knowledge of the subject, which helps them to master other subjects more quickly. Students say that his lectures and seminars are never boring. Raivo Puhke is always positive, inspires his students and knows how to make even the most difficult topics understandable with humorous expressions, real-life examples and exceptionally good explanations.

One can see that he really likes his specialisation. It also motivates students to work harder and do more reading at home. Raivo Puhke knows how to create a safe environment for students – they are not embarrassed to ask questions and interesting discussions arise during the classes. Students are motivated to attend lectures and seminars and always look forward to them. 

Other nominees at the Faculty of Medicine were Külli Jaako, Associate Professor of Pharmacology; Janne Kommusaar, Assistant of Nursing Science; Priit Pauklin, Assistant of Cardiology and Kristiina Sepp, Junior Lecturer of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurship.

Hanna Britt Soots, Vice President of the Student Union, said that there are many excellent teaching staff members at the university, and it was difficult to select the best ones. "The opportunity to gain and consolidate knowledge in different ways is one of the reasons the teaching staff members were praised. In addition, the lecturer's good mood, enthusiasm for the subject and real-life tasks make learning creative and exciting for the student," said Soots.  

According to Aune Valk, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, this year's feedback often highlighted teaching staff for creating a safe learning environment. "Students are motivated to learn by a well-structured and guided learning process and by discussions where different opinions and questions are welcome. In addition to teaching field-specific knowledge, a good lecturer encourages students to develop their learning skills, to explore and discover on their own," said Valk. 

Read about other teaching staff of the year from here.