Joshua Abzug and Will Moon receive the highest honor presented by the board to exemplary faculty members at University System of Maryland institutions.
Photo: Joshua Abzug, left, and Will Moon
Two professors from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) have been honored with 2024 University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents Faculty Awards.
Joshua Abzug, MD, professor, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Will Moon, JD, professor of law, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, each received the award, which is the highest faculty honor given by the USM board to recognize excellence in mentoring, teaching, public service, scholarship or research, and creative activity.
A faculty nominating committee at each USM institution makes recommendations to its university president, who forwards candidates to USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD. The Regents Faculty Review Committee makes the final selection.
Perman and Board of Regents chair Linda Gooden, MBA, will recognize the awardees as part of a USM board meeting April 19 at Bowie State University.
“More than 40,000 faculty members work at the University System,” Perman said in a March 27 news release announcing the 20 winners. “So winning this award doesn’t just demonstrate excellence, it demonstrates excellence in a field of thousands of colleagues who are, themselves, exceptionally accomplished. It’s a remarkable achievement.”
Each award carries a $2,000 prize provided by the universities and the USM Foundation.
Abzug was honored for Excellence in Public Service. Abzug’s public service work also was recognized by UMB in 2021, when he was named the Founders Week Public Servant of the Year. Moon was recognized in the Excellence in Teaching category.
Here is what USM wrote about the UMB professors in its news release:
Joshua Abzug
Dr. Abzug is an academic surgeon who rises to the consuming demands of patient care, research, and education. He’s also the force behind Camp Open Arms, which he started in 2015 as a two-day summer camp for six young patients with limb differences.
Today, Camp Open Arms is a weeklong camp with additional activities throughout the year. It’s grown from serving only Maryland children to serving youth across the country, giving them the carefree camp experience that all children deserve. Dr. Abzug has raised awareness of the limb different community throughout the state and the nation, raising more than $500,000 to support the camp and associated research.
Will Moon
When discussing what makes Professor Moon such an effective instructor, students and colleagues point to two things. The first is his meticulously planned lectures and innovative use of role play and hypotheticals. He blends experiential learning techniques with the interactive/interrogative Socratic method to improve retention of key legal concepts, using group collaboration in concert with real-world examples to engage his students, teach them teamwork and leadership, and foster critical problem-solving skills.
The second area of praise involves Professor Moon’s genuine concern for — and dedication to — the well-being and educational development of his students beyond the classroom. He is an exemplary mentor for his students and creatively integrates academic advisement with mentoring to ensure their intellectual development and well-being.