Christy Maxwell Receives Outstanding Teacher Award for 2025-26

Content

Christy Maxwell

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) has announced that Christy Maxwell, lecturer in the Department of Nutrition, is the winner of the school’s 2025-2026 College Outstanding Teacher Award (COTA).

The award is given annually to one SPHHS faculty member who demonstrates excellence and creativity in teaching, a positive impact on their students and a mastery of their subject. The College Outstanding Teaching Award program is co-administered by the UMass Amherst Center for Teaching and Learning.

The review committee commented that “Christy stood out for her extensive efforts to create a sense of belonging and an inclusive classroom culture, to explore alternative grading approaches, and to engage in antiracist pedagogy."

“I was deeply honored to receive this award and sincerely grateful to those who nominated me,” says Maxwell. “In the midst of our students’ busy lives, it is especially meaningful when they take the time to recognize faculty members on this level. I know I’m not alone in feeling immense gratitude for the notes, cards, and emails students send after a class or experience. I hope students realize just how significant and appreciated those small acts of kindness truly are.”

During the 2025-26 academic year, Maxwell taught Junior Year Writing in Nutrition, the graduate seminar in human nutrition, Nutrition Counseling, and Advanced Clinical Nutrition Practice. She also serves as the director of the dietetic internship program and coordinates graduate and post-graduate student supervised practice experiences with community partners throughout the year.

Maxwell notes that her teaching philosophy is rooted in providing her students with a sense of belonging. 

“Students need to feel they belong, that they are important in our classrooms, and that their contributions are valued,” she says. “I view us as co-learners as students bring a wealth of knowledge and experiences that are fundamental to the learning process. My goal is to create an environment that builds self-confidence, facilitates creative thinking, and encourages a passion for learning that remains long after graduation. It begins with a welcoming space for ideas and opinions to be generated and shared without judgment, and one that mitigates perceived (often actualized) hierarchical barriers. Belonging is particularly essential for underrepresented students, students of color, and first-gen students whom historically, have been left behind in our U.S. educational system.”

She adds, “I’m not naïve in the belief that inclusion will solve all problems, but an accepting, safe, and equitable atmosphere is a necessary foundation for success. There is a quote from Theodore Roosevelt that I share on the first day of class that I hope students take with them: ‘People do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.’”

Maxwell expects students in her courses to walk away not only with the science and practical skills needed to become exceptional nutrition professionals, but also having learned the importance of empathy, curiosity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning. 

“I want them to leave feeling confident in their abilities and prepared to make a meaningful impact in the lives of the individuals and communities they serve,” she says.