Suffolk University’s Woven Named First Hugo R. Seibel Professor of Education
Released at 8:34 pm on Friday, September 23, 2022
Like his predecessor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Suffolk native Chris Woleben is dedicated to helping students succeed, especially through the residency match process.
That is why it is so fitting that he was appointed as the first appointee of the Hugo R. Seibel Teaching Professorship.
The professorship is named after a longtime alumni favorite and former Associate Dean of Student Activities, who was known for guiding students from the anatomy lab to the match during their four years on campus. I’m here.
When the generous Seibel retired in 2004, he wanted to ensure that excellence in teaching in the medical school would be maintained and rewarded. This is despite the increasing demand for faculty to be more and more productive in their research and clinical endeavors. To this end, he has made a significant lead commitment of $100,000 towards his $250,000 needed to donate to the professorship. Also celebrating his 30+ year tenure with his medical school, his former students and colleagues joined him in an effort to reward and inspire good teachers.
The initiative, which drew the broadest alumni support of any medical school teaching campaign, also inspired nearly 100 first-time donors to the medical school. Awarded annually to outstanding teachers, this professorship celebrates education, the magical blend of science and art that continues to be a core value of our medical school.
In a news release from VCU, officials said it’s especially fitting that the school’s first professorship ever established bears the name of Seibel, who passed away in 2020. He interviewed for medical school and then turned to him for guidance during the bout process.
“He got me into medical school and even helped me graduate,” said Woleben. “This is a great honor.”
“A tireless champion of our learners”
Today, 25 years later, Woleben enjoys national acclaim for its dedication to its students. In 2021, she was one of four of her nationally honored with the Distinguished Medical Career in Advising Her Medical Student Career Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
A pediatric emergency physician and associate dean of student affairs, he is, according to the association, “as a tireless advocate for our learners and . . . even outside the typical pathway, his accessibility and willingness to support”.
During his 15 years in the Office of Student Affairs, Woleben has helped thousands of VCU students develop innovative programs and strategies to support their progression to medical school.
He built a longitudinal career development curriculum and established the nationally known Stoplight Program to identify and support at-risk students.
“It starts in the first year of orientation,” Woleben said in the release. “I started to think a little bit about my professional identity within the field, learned how to work together in a team, how their personality types impacted the different specialties they chose, and how the match process worked. It gives a lot of information about how it works.”
Thanks to the efforts of Woleben and his colleagues, VCU graduates are frequently matched through the National Resident Matching Program at a higher rate than the national average. A few years ago, the AAMC enlisted Woleben’s help to translate its success to other medical schools across the country. The survey he created for his senior year is now part of the association’s toolkit, and as chairman of the National Advisory Board for Electronic Residency Application Services, he has made the interview process smoother for both students and programs. We want to be fair.
Students describe Woleben as a great role model and a lifelong friend who personally invests in everyone, even though nearly 200 students progress through the course of the game each year.
“I’m really passionate about helping people establish their professional identity,” says Woleben. “Personally, it’s interesting and rewarding when you see students who might have struggled at some point, and they’re in a great program and happy with the results. That’s what makes the job so rewarding.”
According to his family in Suffolk, Walliben was a student at Nansemond Suffolk Academy and got his first job as a North Suffolk reporter for the Suffolk News-Herald in the late 1980s.
