Teaching portfolio

My approach to formal, classroom based teaching is one of understanding, not memorization. I work with students to describe the why, what, and how of concepts I am teaching to optimize their learning and retention. Using these methods, I have consistently received positive course evaluations from both major and non-major students, highlighting the broad applicability of this approach. I have taught in a wide-range of STEM classes, from foundational undergraduate courses to highly specialized graduate level seminars, and my course and lecture development is always rooted in two major tenants: 1) developing scientific and informational literacy and 2) connecting scientific content with society.

Introduction to Epidemiology

Interest in virology, vaccinology, and epidemiology exponentially increased as a result of the COVID pandemic. In Spring 2021, I taught a semester-long, undergraduate level course in epidemiological principles. Using an online, flipped classroom approach and case-based learning, students completed "pre-work" assignments which varied from more traditional recorded mini lectures, readings, problem sets, to other short-form videos or podcasts. In-class, we discussed the learned epidemiological principles in the context of COVID and other communicable or non-communicable diseases. Assessments included open-book, open-note application-based exams, more creative-based written and spoken communication projects, and critiques of primary literature versus media presentations of scientific data.

Vaccine Development

Developed in response to the approval of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, this 1 or 2 day lecture series stresses the 1) preclinical and clinical studies underlying vaccine development and 2) factors that effect vaccine efficacy at the society, personal, and pathogen level. The lecture goals are to recognize major advances in vaccine history, differentiate vaccine platforms, describe the steps in developing a new vaccine from idea to implementation, and identify the factors influencing the vaccine response. We also discuss the role of vaccines in disease eradication and disparities in vaccine access and infectious disease rates. With adaptations based on course level and prerequisites, this series has been presented to major and non-major undergraduate and graduate students in public health, biology, and epidemiology.

Outbreak Response

This lecture series uses active learning techniques like lecture pauses, case studies, peer-led team learning, and even games to teach concepts centered around emerging infectious diseases. Day 1 consists of a crash course in microbiology and virology which is followed on Day 2 with an introduction to epidemiological principles. Finally, Day 3 is an insight into "disease detectives" where as a class we follow a real-life outbreak from detection to response to resolution, using legitimate data from the CDC Outbreak tracker. The series concludes with a "take home" test where students in thematic small groups (inspired by the roles in Pandemic the Board Game and the Jigsaw Method) tackle bigger picture questions around pathogens, outbreaks, plus personal and public health which are discussed in-class on Day 4. I have adapted the content, depth, and length of the course and taught at multiple levels, including freshman-level introduction courses in public health and upper level epidemiology or microbiology courses. This series has consistently gotten stellar teaching evaluations and has even inspired some undergraduate students to seek additional coursework in virology!

Plagues and Peoples

As a product of a liberal arts undergraduate education, I find it incredibly important to integrate social science, history, and the broader liberal arts into STEM classrooms. This course was developed as an exercise in graduate school and is structured as a twice weekly honors seminar course that integrates history and science, linking major infectious disease outbreaks of history to contemporary social and political issues. Using source material from William H. McNeill's Plagues and Peoples and Kyle Harper's Plagues Upon the Earth, it uses a flipped classroom to present the historical context of disease with in-class discussion around the epidemiology and biology of the etiologic agent as well as primary and secondary sources ranging from art, literature, and history to present a holistic picture of infectious disease in a social context. I look forward to implementing this class, and even team-teaching this with history or anthropology faculty!

DataViz and SciComm

Recognizing that many data visualization and scientific communication classes are too narrowly focused or emphasize only a single mode of communication, I developed a semi-flipped graduate-level class that focuses on key strategies to improve the communication of data to multiple groups using multi-modal methods. I have also distilled this class into an hour-long intensive seminar on "Effective Design Strategies for DataViz" that has been presented to multiple research groups. The goal of this class is to relay key design strategies that aid in the construction of clear data visualizations and improve scientific storytelling in written, visual, and spoken forms.