James H. Baños, Ph.D., recently joined the Department of Medical Education and Medical Student Services as assistant dean for Student Success. In his role, Baños will lead the Office of Student Success team in helping students with academic advising and tutoring and in overcoming personal and academic challenges they face in medical school.
“I’ve had great opportunities in my career to work in both clinical research and teaching, but I’ve always found teaching to be the most consistently rewarding,” Baños said.
Baños joined the School of Medicine faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2003, a position he held for eight years before moving into an adjunct role in order to open a private neuropsychology practice.
He said he realized while working in private practice that he missed working more closely with students. “I moved into the adjunct position so I could keep a connection to teaching and had a clinical rotation at my practice for psychology students.”
But when an opportunity arose to work full-time with students to help them grow and overcome the challenges of medical school, he couldn’t help but be interested.
“Students are so motivated to better themselves and work toward goals and put advice to good use,” Baños said. “It’s rewarding to work with people who want to make that forward progress. It’s a great experience to watch that progress unfold as you work with them over time.”
Though his role will primarily be advisory, he said he will work with training students to be academic tutors for their peers and may find other opportunities for teaching within the School.
Baños , who had taught brain anatomy in the neuroscience module until last year, has been nominated multiple times for the Argus Society Awards in Teaching, honors given to faculty by UAB medical students for excellence in medical education. He won the award for Best Neuroscience Lecturer in 2012.
A Louisiana native, Baños earned his undergraduate degree from Nicholls State University and his master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi. He came to UAB in 2000 to complete a predoctoral internship in clinical psychology and returned in 2001 to complete a two-year fellowship in clinical neuropsychology in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
He’s published more than 30 research publications and is on the editorial boards of Rehabilitation Psychology and the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. He’s actively involved in several professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association, International Neuropsychological Society and Hispanic Neuropsychological Society.