Dr. Eugenio Rothe has been named an FIU Top Scholar for his teaching and award-winning work in professionalism.

The Office of the Provost selects the university’s top scholars every year.  The award citation notes Rothe’s “development of a comprehensive medical professionalism curriculum, which significantly advances our medical student’s education and impacts their success as physicians.”

Rothe is the founder and director of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) Professional Behavior Course, which prepares students for the intense psychological experiences of becoming a doctor.

Last year, HWCOM’s professionalism curriculum won the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society’s Professionalism Award, recognizing best practices in medical professionalism education.

The professionalism course prepares students for the intense emotional experiences they will encounter in becoming a doctor. It also focuses on understanding, teaching, and promoting the human qualities essential to practice the medical profession and improve the doctor-patient relationship. Rothe calls this “the art of medicine.”

Research has shown that professionalism translates into better patient care. It impacts patient safety, patient outcomes, physician burnout, and teamwork.

Rothe, a psychiatrist, also serves as assistant clerkship director for the medical student psychiatry rotations and teaches psychiatry to medical students, residents, and fellows.