By Alexandra Brodin
Scheie Vision Summer 2020
The Scheie Eye Institute congratulates César A. Briceño, MD, on receiving the 2020 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching. Dr. Briceño is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery. He received the Golden Apple Resident Teaching Award in 2018 and 2019.
Dr. Briceño’s commitment to education is evident in every facet of his career. While working as an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Medicine from 2013 to 2016, he participated in the Medical Education Scholars Program and was inducted into the Academy for Educational Excellence and Scholarship. He was also active in the Office of Health Equity and Inclusion, helping to organize the Michigan School of Medicine’s first Women’s Leadership Summit.
When Dr. Briceño joined UPenn in 2016, he continued to be a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher. He creates a positive and supportive educational environment in clinical settings, always taking students’ diverse backgrounds and learning styles into account. “His ability to challenge us to take what we learned and apply it a step further made our rotation a positive, empowering experience,” expressed one of Dr. Briceño’s medical students. “In our time together, his warmth and sense of humor captivated the room, and he was unwaveringly supportive of our journeys and our struggles.”
Dr. Briceño also demonstrates this passion for teaching in his many advisory and mentorship roles. He recently served as a faculty advisor on an undergraduate biomedical engineering project to design special glasses for patients with facial nerve paralysis. He also mentored a medical student’s capstone project as part of his Master in Public Health (MPH) degree. He has been the faculty advisor for numerous medical student scholarly pursuits and has also co-authored several manuscripts with medical students, helping them gain valuable research experience.
Dr. Briceño is especially committed to empowering students, faculty, and patients from underrepresented backgrounds. He sits on the executive committee of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring (MOM) program, and currently leads the task force dedicated to assigning mentors. He is also active in the AAO’s inaugural lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) task force, and helped plan a symposium to enhance health care providers’ communication with patients from diverse backgrounds, with a focus on LGBT patients.
This dedication is mirrored in his support for the Latin American community. He volunteers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Puentes de Salud clinic, which was initiated to promote the health and well-being of Philadelphia’s Latin American population. He also inspires his students to become involved with the program and participates in teaching activities within Puentes.
The Scheie Eye Institute is extremely grateful to Dr. Briceño for all his work to promote education within the Ophthalmology Department and in our local, national, and global communities.