Richard “Rick” Vari, Professor of Basic Science Education and Senior Dean of Academic Affairs at Virginia Tech’s Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, has been awarded Professor Emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
Emeritus may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers specially recommended to the Board of Trustees by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Appointees who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.
A founding member of the Virginia Tech Carilion School medical school in 2008, Vari helped establish and oversee the new medical school’s curriculum, and his leadership and hard work contributed to the school’s full accreditation. .
For more than 40 years, Vari has served the local, regional, national and international medical education community as a leader in leading professional organizations including the International Association of Medical Science Educators, American Society of Nephrology and the American Physiological Society.
He taught a variety of courses throughout the four-year program, helping to establish Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine as a national leader in problem-based learning and interprofessional education. He supported both medical and graduate students at Virginia Tech and two other institutions by serving as a faculty sponsor for various student interest groups and by serving as a respected advisor, mentor, and friend and admired who has helped his students pursue and succeed in careers in both academic and professional settings.
In 2017, Vari received the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award from the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges. Earlier this year, the International Association of Medical Science Educators presented him with the Edward Patrick Finnerty Lifetime Achievement Award.
Vari earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees. from the University of Kentucky. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.
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