Christopher Daza has knack for relating to students
HOUSTON (April 24, 2024) — Christopher Daza, Radiography and Computed Tomography program director at Houston Community College (HCC), won the 2024 Sharon Coffey Educator of the Year award at the Texas Society of Radiologic Technologists conference this month.
This is the second straight year a professor from HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences has received this honor, which goes to a Texas educator who has significantly contributed to radiologic technology instruction.
The award honors Sharon Coffey, an influential radiologic technologist and advocate for the rights of all radiologic technologists in Texas. She was also a faculty member at Houston Community College for over 25 years.
Daza has been a radiologic technologist and computed tomography technician for 13 years and a faculty member at HCC Coleman College for 10 years. He was nominated by colleague Melanie Hail, regional program director at The College for Health Care Professions.
“Chris has a passion for the profession and for sharing his knowledge and experience with others,” Hail said. “He has a knack for directly relating to students, empathizing with their struggles and opening learning avenues for them in the clinical environment.”
A Houston native, Daza graduated from the HCC Radiography Program in 2011 and quickly went on to earn his computed tomography certification. He has worked at Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center, Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital and St. Luke’s Community Emergency Centers and returned to Coleman in 2014. He became program director of the HCC Radiography and Computed Tomography Department in 2021, where student retention rate has improved by 34 percent.
“I look at each student as if they were my patient,” Daza said. “So, like with patients in my exam room, I go the extra mile to ensure my students feel comfortable while they are in my class. Each student is different and may need something different from us. Our job as educators is to grow each day so we can serve our students to the best of our ability.”
Daza earned a bachelor’s degree in radiologic sciences from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls in 2015 and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with a health science focus from the University of Houston in 2020.
In his free time, this Sugar Land resident enjoys watching sports and traveling with his wife and 5-year-old daughter.
