Dr. Kelsey Spence Honoured with UGFA Award for Excellence in Teaching

Pictured above: Dr. Kelsey Spence (bottom row, centre) is joined by the graduate students whose work she supervises and supports.

Dr. Kelsey Spence, assistant professor in epidemiology and One Health in the Department of Population Medicine has been recognized by the University of Guelph Faculty Association (UGFA) for her exceptional contributions towards teaching and learning.  

Spence is the recipient of the 2023 UGFA Distinguished Professor Award for Excellence in Teaching, which is presented annually to honour one faculty member from each of the seven colleges across the University of Guelph for their excellent performance in various areas of teaching.  

Spence was nominated for the award by Laura Zehr and Juliet Germann - Senior Vice President and Junior Vice President of Internal Affairs, respectively, for the Graduate Student Executive of the Department of Population Medicine – who highlighted her abilities as a skilled educator and caring mentor, as well as her commitment to innovation in pedagogy.  

“I am so glad to see Kelsey honoured as a recipient of the UGFA Award for Excellence in Teaching; she’s a wonderful instructor and mentor,” said Zehr. “From my own experience in her classroom, Dr. Spence cared deeply about providing a meaningful and lasting learning experience for her students, and over the course of collecting the references and data for the nomination I can confidently say most students in her classes and under her mentorship feel the same. I am grateful for this opportunity to showcase for her, and to the community, a fraction of the gratitude that her students past and present hold for her.” 

“We are thrilled that Kelsey has been given this prestigious award,” said Dr. Todd Duffield, Chair of the Department of Population Medicine. “It is unusual that such an award is given to an early career faculty member and speaks to Kelsey's exceptional teaching abilities. It is additionally noteworthy that the nomination was led by graduate students in our department. Our undergraduate and graduate epidemiology courses are critical to the success of our graduate programs. Kelsey's recognition with this award of her teaching excellence within this discipline adds substantially to our department's strength in epidemiology." 

Prior to joining the Department of Population Medicine, Spence held positions as a postdoctoral researcher at the Royal Veterinary College in London, England, and as a mathematical modeller at the Public Health Agency of Canada. Her research program explores the use of biosecurity and infection control practices among animal and human populations.  

“I am honoured to be chosen as a recipient of this award, and I am even more grateful knowing that the nomination came from the graduate students of Population Medicine,” says Spence. “It has been a pleasure teaching and learning with our students and I continue to be inspired by them daily.”