By Kody Kiser and Steve Shaffer

Mark Fillmore, professor in the Department of Psychology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, is one of the distinguished Great Teacher Award recipients who strives to help his students understand the importance of research.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 2, 2024) – The University of Kentucky Alumni Association started the Great Teacher Award program in 1961 to honor excellent teaching at the university. There have been more than 300 teachers honored since that first year. Nominations may only be submitted by current students.

To receive the award, a candidate must:

• Hold the rank of full-time lecturer or above and have been a member of the faculty for the past three years at UK.
• Have superior knowledge of the subject matter.
• Have original and innovative classroom presentations.
• Demonstrate concern for students, both inside and outside the classroom setting.
• Not have been a recipient of the award for the past 10 years.

A committee of the UK Alumni Association Board of Directors and a representative from the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa select the recipients based on objective rating and ranking of the eligible nominations submitted.

This episode of “Behind the Blue” spotlights one of the six Great Teacher Award winners for 2024: Mark Fillmore, a research professor in the Department of Psychology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences.

Fillmore is a member of the behavioral neuroscience and psychopharmacology area. The overarching theme of his research is understanding the role that cognitive processes have in promoting risk-taking behavior, with emphasis on recreational drug use including alcohol abuse and dependence. He is recognized as one of the world’s leading scholars in the examination of the effects of alcohol on human cognitive information processing.

“Behind the Blue” is available via a variety of podcast providers, including iTunes and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of “Behind the Blue,” email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of “Behind the Blue” can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.