Currently, I have teaching responsibilities in both the professional program in the School of Pharmacy and the graduate program in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy. Teaching within these two curricula present unique challenges and opportunities.  However, my approach to each is guided by one primary goal – to prepare students for life-long learning by enhancing their ability to think critically, analytically, and creatively. To accomplish this goal, I strive to make learning fun. 

Within this context, I view teaching as similar to story-telling. At the beginning of the story (i.e., course), it is necessary to capture the audience's attention. Gradually, the characters are introduced, the story unfolds, and the plot thickens. Details are added to provide richness, but not in a way that distracts from the primary storyline. And, when the story ends, all the pieces fit neatly together. There are no puzzled faces (I dream of that day) and people remember the main elements of the story long after other memories have faded. 

In teaching, students help professors tell the story. They are able to communicate, either verbally or non-verbally, to tell the professor if they have gotten lost in the details or if they have simply lost interest in the story. Thus, each time a professor teaches a class, it is a little different, tailored to the unique combination of abilities and interests of students participating in the class.

Teaching provides professors with the opportunity to change the future. Most of the students I teach today will outlive me by two or three decades. However, through my work with them, I have the opportunity to influence the work they do – long after I have stopped working myself. This recognition comes with enormous responsibility. I believe that teaching involves much more than simply conveying knowledge. It also involves conveying values.  Most of my students in the PharmD curriculum will become health care providers. In that capacity, they will be responsible for caring for patients. It is important that they have the technical expertise necessary to provide the best possible care. However, it is equally important that they have compassion and respect for others. I try to model these values in my interactions with students, whether in the classroom or in one-on-one interactions. I always try to treat students respectfully and make time for them whenever they need my assistance, or when they simply need an ear to listen to a problem they are experiencing.  While maintaining high classroom standards, I also try to model compassion. After exams, I always ask students who did poorly to meet with me. My goal in these meetings is to express concern for the student, convey both the gravity of the situation as well as my faith in the student's ability to succeed, help the student problem-solve, and coordinate assistance if needed. My hope is that students will internalize my concern for their well-being and that this, in turn, will influence how they interact with patients in the future.