Dr Emma Beckman was already on a high from working as a Paralympic Games athletics classifier, and then she got an extra boost of a rare Universitas 21 Teaching Excellence Award.

The University of Queensland lecturer in the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences was one of the award’s two global recipients in 2016.

“It’s a huge honour and a big surprise,” Dr Beckman said.

 “I’m thrilled my interest and passion for this area has been recognised in this way.”

The award gives Dr Beckman the opportunity to travel to Johannesburg next year and present a workshop with a new research collaborator.

Apart from being involved with the Paralympics for the past year, Dr Beckman also guided the UQ Health team in its successful title defence of the HealthFusion Team Challenge.

The national competition required students from multiple health disciplines to collaborate and present care solutions for complex conditions.

“The past year has been full of incredible experiences,” Dr Beckman said.

“I’ve just come back from a fantastic Paralympic Games where I witnessed so many inspiring performances – not just those where world records were broken.

“Several of the big highlights came from watching our own UQ athletes who I see training regularly.

“There’s something special and satisfying about watching others succeed when you know in intricate detail all the hard work they’ve done to put themselves in that position.”

Dr Beckman is a lecturer in clinical exercise physiology and exercise science and, along with colleagues Dr Sean Tweedy and Dr Mark Connick, is a member of the International Paralympic Committee Classification Research and Development Centre (physical impairments).

This is the second year in a row that a UQ Health academic has received a Universitas 21 Teaching Excellence Award, following Dr Allison Mandrusiak’s recognition in 2015.

UQ is one of three Australian members of Universitas 21, along with the University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales.

Media: Dr Emma Beckman, e.beckman@uq.edu.au , +61 7 3346 7904; Robert Burgin, UQ Communications, r.burgin@uq.edu.au , +61 7 3346 3035, +61 448 410 364.