USC Associates Award for Excellence Teaching
Presented at the 31th Annual Academic Honors Convocation
April 2012

Peter Crookes & JoAnn Farver

Dr. Peter F. Crookes
Associate Professor of Surgery
USC Keck School of Medicine

Dr. Peter F. Crookes, associate Professor of Surgery at USC, is a renowned leader in bariatric and foregut surgery. He is the director of the USC Bariatric Program at Keck Hospital of USC and the Student Clerkship for the Keck School of Medicine of USC. His genuine dedication to the field fuels his passion for medical and surgical education.

Dr. Crookes' current research includes a wide variety of issues related to obesity and diseases of the esophagus and stomach. His many publications on metabolic changes associated with different types of bariatric surgery are acclaimed works that have vitally enhanced contemporary medical science. His other areas of expertise include hernias,GERD, achalasia, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia.

Dr. Crookes was recently voted a Top Doctor by Pasadena Magazine and has repeatedly won numerous awards for his stellar teaching style, including the Kaiser Permanente Excellence in Teaching Award.

As an enthusiast of the history ofsurgery, Dr. Crookes frequently lectures and writes on historical topics related to the field. His CV features over 80 peer-review publications in addition to 30 chapters and numerous invited lectures and presentations.

He earned his medical degree from Queen's University in Ireland, where he also completed a specialized qualification in pathology. After his internship and residency at Royal Victoria Hospital, Dr. Crookes travelled to Australia, where he was a research fellow in the Department of Surgery at St. Vincent's Hospital. Dr. Crookes then served as a research fellow at Creighton University in Omaha before completing his fellowship at USC.

For his inspired teaching and enduring contributions to medical education, the University of Southern California is pleased to honor Dr. Peter Crookes with the USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching.

JoAnn Farver
Professor of Psychology
USC Dana & David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

JoAnn Farver is a distinguished contributor to the advancement of developmental psychology. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and has been a faculty member since 1991. Professor Farver continues to add a unique and innovative perspective to the Psychology department through her compelling teaching style and groundbreaking research. As director of the Undergraduate Psychology Honors program, she also serves as a valuable mentor for students.

Professor Farver is an expert in the social development of young children, cross-cultural developmental psychology, violence and young children, and early literacy. Currently, she is the Principal Investigator of a large scale emergent literacy intervention in inner-city Los Angeles, funded by the National Science Foundation and the US Department ofEducation.

In recent years, Professor Farver has been focused on cross-cultural research projects, including studying the social development and socio-emotional functioning of mainland Chinese children and developing a bilingual/transitional model of early literacy for Latino children.

Her expertise in the field of developmental psychology has earned her membership in several prestigious sociological bodies, including the Society for Research in Child Development, the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development and the American Anthropological Association. In addition, Professor Farver received multiple research mentorship awards from the Center for Excellence in Teaching.

For her inspired teaching and enduring contributions to the academic community, the University of Southern California is pleased to honor Professor JoAnn Farver with the USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching.