Routh garners Bruning Award for Outstanding Teaching
Assistant Professor Courtney Routh, RDH, MSDH, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Lorna J. Bruning Award for Outstanding Teaching at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry.
The Bruning Award, chosen by the second-year dental hygiene students, recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates exceptional knowledge and competence towards effective learning.
Routh was recognized during the annual in May and was immediately appreciative for the honor.
“I was genuinely surprised and deeply humbled to receive this award,” she said. “Especially because it was given by my students. They are the heart of our work in dental education, and being part of their journey over the past year has been both a privilege and a joy.
“This recognition affirms that my efforts in teaching are making a meaningful impact.”
Routh follows an innovative, student-centered approach to her teaching and incorporates strategies to give a sense of agency and accountability to the coursework.
“My teaching philosophy is centered on promoting critical thinking through student-centered, active learning,” she said. “I aim to create an engaging environment where students take ownership of their learning and are empowered to apply their knowledge beyond the classroom.”
She uses methods such as the flipped classroom to keep students engaged and thinking critically throughout the learning process.
Routh holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene (2006) and a Master of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene (2023), both from the School of Dentistry. She is pursuing a from George Washington University with an expected completion date of 2027.
Before embarking on her teaching career, she dedicated 17 years to clinical dental hygiene, bringing her depth of real-world experiences into the classroom.
Routh credits her teaching mentors, Tulsi Patel, RDH, MHA; Anita Joy-Thomas, BDS, PhD; and Harold Henson, RDH, PhD; for being instrumental in shaping her academic journey. She also thanks her students for continually making her a better educator.
“I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the dental hygiene students,” she said. “The trust, respect, and appreciation they have shown me with this award mean the world to me. In accepting this award, I made a promise to continue growing and striving to be the best educator I can be, and I am committed to fulfilling that promise.”
Routh is the course director for Periodontology and Clinical Seminar III and is also the lab director for Oral Disease Prevention I and Dental Materials. Along with teaching, she serves as a facilitator of dental hygiene students in managing patient care, secretary of the Faculty Senate, and Faculty Senate representative on the Staff Relations Council.
The Bruning Award comes with a cash prize. Previous winners include:
- Leanna Nguyen, RDH, BSDH, MS, 2024
- Tulsi Patel, RDH, MHA, 2023, 2018
- Anahita Mortazavi, BSND, BDSH, RDH, MEd, 2022
- Raha Naderi, RDH, MEd, 2021
- Kathy Colston, RDH, BSDH, 2020
- Amber Lovatos, RDH, BSDH, 2019
- Deborah Vayon, RDH, MEd, 2017
- Ruth Conn, RDH, MSDH, 2016
- Darla McKitrick, RDH, MS, 2015
- Donna Warren Morris, RDH, MEd, 2014
- Harold Henson, RDH, MEd, 2013, 2008
- Joanna Allaire, RDH, MDH, 2012, 2010
- Nina Bay Infante, RDH, MS, 2011
- Holly Rice, RDH, MEd, 2009
- Ann O’Kelly Wetmore, RDH, MSDH, 2007
- Jayne McWherter, RDH, MEd, 2006
- Amy Murphy, RDH, BS, 2005