Awards & Honors

Monica A. Pessina, PhD, Receives BU’s 2026 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching

Clinical Associate Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology Monica A. Pessina, PhD’05, is the recipient of the 2026 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Pessina specializes in the connection between human anatomy and professional practice across healthcare, rehabilitation and forensic science. She teaches in the MD program, multiple Graduate Medical Sciences master’s programs and Sargent College’s occupational therapy doctoral program and also serves as a course director in MS in Forensic Anthropology program and at the Goldman School of Dental Medicine.

An innovative educator, Pessina continually refines her teaching, employing clear, conceptual models and drawings, group projects that simulate real-world clinical and diagnostic challenges, and varied instructional approaches that support multiple ways of learning.

Dr. Pessina has the experience and flexibility to know which aspects of the learning environment to change and which to preserve…by paying attention to new approaches and meticulously planning her courses.

Tarik Haydar, PhD

Anatomy & Neurobiology Chair Tarik Haydar, PhD, said, “Dr. Pessina has the experience and flexibility to know which aspects of the learning environment to change and which to preserve…by paying attention to new approaches and meticulously planning her courses.”

Pessina embraces student participation while ensuring that her classroom is supportive. One student said, “The most profound measure of Dr. Pessina’s excellence is her ability to maintain warmth, kindness and humanity in an environment that can often feel emotionally demanding.”

Pessina is a double Terrier, earning a BS in occupational therapy (SAR’90) and PhD (CAMED’05) in anatomy & neurobiology, and her MEd from Northeastern University.

Prior to her appointment at BU, she gained experience at Massachusetts General Hospital treating patients with orthopedic, neurological and burn injuries. She is the former director of rehabilitation at Shriners Burns Institute and continues to work as an advocate for burn survivors. Her current research focuses on upper extremity function following cortical injury. Her honors include the Proctor & Gamble Outstanding Basic Sciences Faculty Award, and GSDM’s Spencer N. Frankl Award for Excellence in Teaching.