Dr. Gerald Callahan, an Associate Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, and the Department of English, was named an Eddy Teacher at the Willard O. Eddy Awards Reception held Sept. 28 at the Lory Student Center.
The Eddy Awards program notes that Dr. Callahan “has had a spectacular career as a writer and teacher working at the interface between science and humanities. Since 1984 when he joined the faculty in Pathology, he has inspired unparalleled interest and excitement in his students by communicating both the material and his passion for the subject.”
Though a sophisticated and productive scientist, Dr. Callahan also developed a passion for literature and philosophy. In his nomination, Dr. Bernard Rollin, Professor in the Department of Philosophy, stated, “Dr. Callahan is not only a brilliant scientist and teacher. He is the most erudite scientist I have ever met, with a unique command of language and a knowledge base that renders him equally comfortable in the intricacies of the immune system or in literary criticism or in philosophical debate, or in a political discussion. A true Renaissance person in an age where such skill is no longer aspired to.”
In his scientific endeavors, Dr. Callahan investigates interactions between the human immune and nervous systems, the immunological basis of behavioral disease, the behavioral basis of immunological disorders, and the public understanding of science.
The Willard O. Eddy Awards were created in honor and recognition of Dr. Eddy, founder of the University Honors Program and of the Department of Philosophy.
