ISU educator earns U.S. Professor of the Year in Health Sciences Award
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POCATELLO — An Idaho State University educator is being recognized for his dedicated years of hard work.
Dr. Henry Oh is the department chair and clinical professor of Health Occupations College of Technology at ISU. After being at ISU for a little over a year, Extraordinary People Awards recently selected him for the top educator award as U.S. Professor of the Year in Health Sciences.
Extraordinary People Awards identifies people who have achieved outstanding success in their professions and/or significantly contributed to their local community by empowering the lives of others. People are nominated and then chosen by an advisory team compiled of leaders, film producers, authors, music, and media experts.
“Getting this award really means a lot because I am a first-generation graduate,” Oh explained. “It really motivated me to go far in my career because my parents never had a college degree. If I can do it, other people can do it also.”
This award is the highest award that he has received in teaching, according to Oh. While today he’s mainly responsible to supervise faculty at ISU, he has around 14 years of teaching experience at other colleges. He’s earned five national teaching awards and has a long list of several other worthy achievements.
He’s received ten national awards from the American Medical Technologists, plus he holds a doctorate degree in education, has an honorary doctorate degree in humanities and he was also recognized as an Outstanding Achiever for Medicine and Allied Sciences in 2017 by the Asia Pacific Excellence Awards, according to a Briefing Wire news release.
Along with those accomplishments, he’s a registered respiratory therapist, certified medical technologist, chartered biologist, and a certified clinical trauma specialist-family.
“Extraordinary People Awards is one of the most prestigious international awards organization recognizing people around the world,” the Extraordinary People Awards website explains. “We recognize recipient’s lifetime of achievements, humanitarian aid, volunteer-ism and contributions made in global communities.”
While it wasn’t an easy road to get to where Oh is today, he said it’s important to never give up, no matter your circumstances, and to help others along the way.
At ISU, he’s says he’s always looking for talents that his students and faculty possess that they might not see in themselves. He then works with them to develop those talents to help them advance in their education/career, just like he has.
“I enjoy trying to help people improve in their career,” he said. “I try to bring out the best from other people.”