Geography Professor Recognized with 2023 - 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award

UCSB Geography Professor Dr. Susie Cassels was recently awarded a 2023-2024 Distinguished Teaching Award from the Academic Senate. Dr. Cassels, who is also the Director of the Broom Center for Demography, is a health geographer focusing on sexual health, mobility and HIV prevention.

The Distinguished Teaching award recognizes distinction in faculty members who showcase excellence in teaching and successfully unite teaching and research. Dr. Cassels teaches a variety of courses in the department, including Health Geography, Human Geography, Population Geography, and her widely popular course, Sex, Drugs, and Geography. Dr. Cassels was presented with her award from 2022-2023 award winner, Dr. Amy Brody (Anthropology) at the start of her Sex, Drugs & Geography class last month.

Dr. Cassels indicated it has been rewarding to be recognized for the work that goes into creating engaging courses and helping students find the topics that interest them the most. It was especially relevant for her to receive the award during her Sex, Drugs & Geography class as she noted that class in particular “uses the intriguing, ubiquitous, and consequential topics of sexual health and substance use disorder to demonstrate human geography concepts.”

The Geography Department is proud to have Dr. Cassels expertise, leadership, energy, and mentorship both inside and outside of the classroom. Congratulations Dr. Cassels!