Our warmest congratulations to Dr Kate Hughes (Associate Professor in Veterinary Anatomic Pathology and Girton Fellow in Veterinary Medicine), who was awarded a Pilkington Prize for teaching excellence by the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Teaching and Learning.
Nominators commented:
"Dr Kate Hughes has a strong commitment to the inspirational teaching of all students. She makes a significant and valued contribution to high-quality teaching and assessment across the clinical (4th-6th) years of the veterinary programme. She contributes over 100 hours of lecture and practical teaching on topics ranging from sudden death in cattle, mastitis and equine integrated pathology practicals, to small animal endocrinology, nephrology and urology. Most recently, Kate led the design of a new final-year rotation in anatomic pathology for which she is educational lead, right from inception and including independent learning resources.
In all her teaching, Kate demonstrates consistent dedication to the enhancement of the student experience. To this end, she led the optimisation of learning environments for inclusivity, with a particular focus on neurodivergent studies. She reflected that learning environments in anatomic pathology were suboptimal for neurodivergent students and conducted a series of individual student interviews and focus groups to identify areas for improvement. Her work in this area has been well received and benefitted all students. Overall, Kate has successfully introduced innovative teaching methods across the three years of the clinical veterinary course and has demonstrated a constructive approach to supporting learning, inspiring students and enabling them to develop their knowledge of the subject in a holistic clinical context."
The Pilkington Prizes are awarded to individuals who make a substantial contribution to the teaching programme of a Department, Faculty or the University as a whole. Twelve prizes of £1000 are awarded each year, with nominations made by each of the six Schools. The prizes are awarded annually by the Vice-Chancellor.