Lisa Elfring, PhD

Vice Provost, Assessment, Teaching and Technology
Specialist, Biology Education
W.A. Franke Honors College
Lisa Elfring

2024 Henry and Phyllis Koffler Prize

"Being recognized by this award among all the dedicated and creative teachers in the University of Arizona’s rich teaching ecosystem is an incredible honor. I am grateful to the scores of colleagues and thousands of students who have served as my inspiration and support throughout this journey."

Dr. Elfring has taught at the University of Arizona for over 25 years, engaging with students including high-school interns, first-year college students, and medical and graduate students, and everyone in between. She has spent many years working to improve learning in large-enrollment introductory-biology courses and teaching smaller classes that helped students to find their own voices and pathways in the life sciences. 

In 2016, Dr. Elfring moved away from most of her teaching to lead the University of Arizona's Office of Instruction and Assessment, which supports the entire University community of instructors by providing technical tools, training, and support in using learning-assessment data to improve teaching.

Award announcement from the MCB Department