Professor Notaro Receives Hill Award
Dr. Steve Notaro with some of the students he's mentored this semester.
"Dr. Stephen Notaro has given me the opportunity to grow and develop as a James Scholar and as a student in general, too."
So began Christina Kim’s nomination letter that contributed to Professor Notaro being chosen to receive the 2011 Phyllis J. Hill Award for Exemplary Mentoring in the Edmund J. James Scholar Program. A lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, Dr. Notaro has been guiding undergraduate students through research projects for more than 10 years. He became a lecturer in the Community Health program after completing his doctoral degree here, with a focus on health care policy.
Dr. Notaro has recently been guiding students in research on the use of free health clinics by underserved populations, the barriers to accessing free clinics, the impact of hospitals on the health of their communities, and the high cost of overusing Emergency Department services. Fourteen of his students participated in the campus-wide Undergraduate Research Symposium in April, Christina Kim among them. She said, "Dr. Notaro really made me think about health issues that people face in the local community, and how they relate to our nation as a whole. By letting students participate in his research, he is helping us to broaden our knowledge and prepare for the future."
Dr. Notaro, who has mentored nearly 200 undergraduate students over his career, believes that involving students in research completes and enhances their education. "They have to take responsibility for something, their writing has to be precise, they have to analyze data, they have to take ownership of a project that they may or may not be getting a grade for," he said. He focuses on developing the student, and tries to match them with a project that suits their interests. He enjoys spending one-on-one time with the students he mentors and watching them develop. "When the students put the effort in, it’s really rewarding," he said. "Getting them to the point of presenting at the Undergraduate Research Symposium, or submitting a manuscript with their name on it, or having a poster at a conference—it’s really what faculty members are supposed to be doing, and it carries a significant intrinsic reward."
Getting the Phyllis Hill Award means a lot to Dr. Notaro. He thinks the fact that a group of people who had been taught by Phyllis Hill created the award in her honor speaks to the impact she had on their lives. "To have a fraction of that kind of impact is reward enough," he said.
The Phyllis Hill Award for Exemplary Mentoring in the Edmund J. James Scholar Program is just one of many faculty and student awards and honors that are made possible through the support of alumni and friends of the College of Applied Health Sciences, and we thank you.