Robert Klein, professor of anatomy at Kansas University Medical Center, last weekend was awarded the national Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award.

The award, given by the Association of American Medical Colleges, includes a $10,000 prize for Klein, $2,500 prize for KUMC and a $1,000 award for the KUMC chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. Klein is the first KUMC teacher to win the award.

In choosing to give Klein the award, AAMC said that he teaches his anatomy classes more like a law class, asking students to think critically about the human body rather to memorize its parts.

The AAMC said those skills can serve a physician for a lifetime.