Susan Whitman, a lecturer in the UVM integrative health program, received the 2021 Prelock Online Teaching Award for the course  HLTH 101: Intro to Integrative Health. The award recognizes Whitman's superior organization skills and creative, fun teaching style that engages and inspires.

Students and faculty reviewing nominations noted Whitman's clear learning objectives, creative content, varied assignments and use of technology:

"Module content contained thoughtfully selected images and custom video clips illustrating key concepts. ... correspondence in the YellowDig discussion board was timely and qualitatively rich. ... You held periodic ‘tea times’ (virtual office hours) to accommodate students’ varying schedules. ...Susan sets the standard for teaching students online. She is interested in my learning, not my grade."

Intro to Integrative Health provides an overview of the social forces prompting the rise of integrative health care in the U.S. Students explore cultural and institutional processes shaping substance abuse and health care delivery. The course is included in UVM’s Certificate in Integrative Healthcare. Susan Whitman also teaches courses on integrative health and wellness coaching and leads the Open Source Wellness group coaching program for UVM employees.

The Prelock Online Teaching Award provides a model of excellence and encourages all faculty to continue to advance their online teaching pedagogy. Awardees may be asked to assume a leadership role in promoting online instruction at UVM and serve on the award selection committee.