2018 Metcalf Award Recipient: James A. Wolff

James A. Wolff is an Associate Professor of Global Health at Boston University School of Public Health (SPH). Colleagues hail him as “a phenomenal educational innovator and a dedicated advocate for significant learning in the classroom.” Dr. Wolff is an enthusiastic early adopter of new technologies, equipping students with the practical technical skills of the modern workplace. He also studies how technology can help solve some of today’s most troubling public health problems.

He embraces practice-based learning and engages students with activities such as role-playing, client presentations, student-led workshops, proposal development, and simulated job interviews. His students work on challenging assignments related to human resources management, drug supply management, financial management, quality improvement, and digital technology—often for real clients. Students remark about “practical,” “thought-provoking,” “hands-on” courses in which they “learn  a new and valuable skill every day.”

Words such as “dedicated,” “passionate,” and “approachable” recur throughout his evaluations. Students describe Dr. Wolff as “a wonderful instructor who takes time to answer questions,” who is “always in high spirits,” and “willing to help you day or night.”

His influence reaches far beyond our campus. A practicing physician, he has also been a consultant with USAID, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and numerous private organizations, and helped establish collaborative faculty partnerships to promote innovation in teaching in India and Tanzania.

Dr. Wolff holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Bachelor of Medical Science from Dartmouth Medical School, a Doctor of Medicine from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and a Master of Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Wolff has received fifteen teaching awards from SPH, including the school’s highest honor for an educator, the Norman A. Scotch Award for Excellence in Teaching.