Dr. Jane Shaw is the first winner of the American Academy of Communication in Healthcare’s Teaching Excellence Award, which recognizes educators who advance the field of healthcare communication. The inaugural award was presented at the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare and Health Literacy Annual Research Conference Oct. 8-11 in Baltimore.

Shaw is an associate professor of veterinary communication at CSU’s James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She earned her veterinary degree from Michigan State University in 1994 and ar Ph.D. in Epidemiology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada in 2004. She received the 2008 Leo K. Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian Award for her contributions to enhancing the relationship between people and their pets, and the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award in 2011.

At CSU, Shaw leads the communication curriculum, focusing on clinical interviewing skills to enhance professional performance through partnership with colleagues and clients. She conducts the Frank Communication Workshop Series, a continuing education program that emphasizes the importance of communication as a significant clinical skill for veterinary teams.

“Given that this is a human medical organization, I consider it an even greater honor that as a veterinarian, I was their first awardee,” said Shaw.

The Healthcare Communication Teaching Excellence Award honors teaching that has made an impact beyond the candidate’s institution, original and innovative communication teaching and learning, and communication training in a particularly challenging environment.