May 13, 2026

Celebrating the 2025-2026 Honors Excellence in Teaching Award Recipients

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Dr. Jeanette Bushnell and Dr. Maralyssa Bann have been named as the recipients of the 2025-2026 Honors Excellence in Teaching Award, which recognizes faculty members whose teaching has left a lasting impact on Honors students.

Jeanette Bushnell, who has taught in Honors for over a decade, began as an undergraduate math tutor for the Ethnic Cultural Center. She earned three degrees at UW and Anishinaabe knowledge from Mide teachers. She is also a small business owner of The N.D.N. Players Research Group.

In Honors, Jeanette teaches her incredibly popular class “Lovework: An unfinished syllabus”. Here are some thoughts from her student nominations for this award:

“This class completely changed my life and was such a unique experience within the academic context of UW. Jeanette is a true change-maker. Authentic to herself and the future that she envisions for the world.”

“Dr. Jeanette Bushnell is truly in a league of her own, and I’m so grateful I had the chance to learn from her in Honors Lovework: An Unfinished Syllabus. I will never forget it. Dr. Bushnell didn’t just teach a class; she completely opened my eyes to Indigenous pedagogy and changed the way I show up in my most important relationships, whether that’s how I treat myself, my family, or the people I love romantically. Dr. Bushnell pushed me to rethink my old ideas in such a wonderful, encouraging way that I actually looked forward to the “unlearning” process. She is more than an instructor; she was a rock for me and a genuine support system when I didn’t know I needed one.”

Maralyssa Bann is a hospitalist at Harborview Medical Center where she has previously served as Director of Hospital Medicine and as Associate Medical Director for Acute Care. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and holds a faculty appointment as Associate Professor in the UW Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine. She also was a guest speaker at our Global Challenges 2025 event “Public Trust in Science.”

In Honors, Maralyssa teaches both “Safety Net Hospitals in the US: Past, Present, and Future” and a study abroad course, “Honors + Medicine London: Socializing Medicine – Comparing Concepts of Societal Safety Nets.” Here are some thoughts from her student nominations:

“Dr. Bann doesn’t just teach Honors 230C; she lives it. Her lectures on safety net hospitals weren’t just about history and policy, they were a call to action. Her passion is so high-energy and genuine that it’s impossible to sit in her class and not feel inspired to do something about healthcare equity. She has this incredible way of making you care about the systemic issues facing underprivileged populations as much as she does. Because of her, I didn’t just learn the material; I found a new direction for my future in healthcare advocacy.”

“As a doctor at Harborview, Seattle’s safety net hospital, Dr. Bann comes into the class with an incredible amount of knowledge, experience, and anecdotal stories that support learning in this class. She works hard to get to know students and always keeps the classroom a supportive and welcoming environment.”

Congratulations to this year’s HETA recipients! We are so grateful for your endless support of Honors and impact on students’ lives.