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BIDDEFORD, Maine

James Norton named AANA Didactic Instructor of the Year

James M. Norton, Ph.D., professor of physiology and the chair of the College of Osteopathic Medicine's Department of Physiology, has been named the 2010 Didactic Instructor of the Year by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).

The Didactic Instructor of the Year Award, established in 1991, is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the education of student nurse anesthetists in the classroom.  Norton received the award at the annual AANA meeting held August 7-10 in Seattle, Wash.

Norton is also an adjunct professor at the School of Nurse Anesthesia in UNE's Westbrook College of Health Professions.

Norton has been teaching physiology to UNE nurse anesthesia students since 1984.  His teaching philosophy emphasizes providing students with critical thinking skills and other lessons they likely cannot get from textbooks alone.  Norton shares insights acquired from a lifetime of teaching physiology, clinical applications based in established theory, and published research. 

"I have enjoyed the role I've played in the education and preparation of nurse anesthesia students," said Norton.  "I am honored to receive this award, and feel fortunate to be able to take my passion for the sciences and make it my life's work."

Norton received a bachelor's degree in Classical Languages at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and earned his bachelor of medical sciences degree and his Ph.D. in physiology at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, N.H.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.