The best teachers strive to continue to learn. I am committed to improve my pedagogies of student engagement with a focus on the incorporation of educational technology and other innovative processes to enhance learning. My goal is to create an environment of mutual accountability for a deep and transformative learning experience that will increase student learning outcomes and develop competent professionals that will lead practice. I embrace “real- world” case-based teaching and active learning activities in the classroom that encourages collaborative learning, problem solving and supports students in progressive self- discovery as independent, self-directed learners.
As an academic clinician, I have to balance my time between classroom teaching, precepting students at the practice site, providing service (to the university, practice site and profession), and conducting scholarly work.
My teaching philosophy as a preceptor?
Professional practice is a lifelong learning experience. Preceptors bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and practical experience. As a preceptor, I wholeheartedly embrace the role of the student pharmacist as a pharmacist-extender in team-based care that focuses on a patient-centered practice that is respectful, thoughtful, compassionate, and without judgement. Students have an opportunity to educate, communicate, and collaborate with patients, colleagues, and other health professionals and apply knowledge of drugs and drug therapy to solve problems and make decisions on behalf of their patients. My teaching method is application based learning with students gaining valuable hands-on experience. I feel that when students actively learn from “real patients” and receive the hands-on role-modeling, they get engaged, retain knowledge longer, unleash their potential, take ownership of their learning, and demonstrate their value. I continue to be in touch with many past students and I am delighted to hear of their many personal and professional successes and this provides me with the best inspiration.
Teaching Responsibilities Didactic
P1, P2, and P3 students at the School of Pharmacy.
Dermatology Module (P2) PHRX 4044
Endocrine Module (P2) PHRX 4043
Nutrition Module (P1) PHRX 3003
Cardiovascular Module (P3) PHRX 5040
Correlated Problem Solving (CPPS) III (P3): PHRX 4011
Independent Study – PHAR 3099
Bar & Grill Approach to Outpatient Pharmacy Practice (2-credit elective, open to P2 and P2 students) – PHRX 4056
Experiential – Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs)
Four-week experiential rotations (offered to P4-year student pharmacists)
Ambulatory Care I – PHRX 5102
Ambulatory Care II – PHRX 5125
Clinical Research Elective – PHRX 5199
Description of my experiential rotation
My practice site is at Hartford Healthcare’s Adult Primary Care Clinic, an urban safety-net clinic serving a culturally diverse medically underserved population. The site is also a teaching clinic for University of Connecticut medical students, medicine residents and pharmacy students. A total of 36 medical residents (house-staff) have a weekly continuity-of-care clinic held every afternoon. In addition, 2 to 3 medical residents attend an ambulatory block rotation in the morning every month providing urgent care visits. The practice consists of full-time board-certified general internal medicine physicians; a nurse manager; 4 nurses; 3 nurse practitioners; 5 patient-care assistants (PCAs); and 7 patient Medical Care Assistants (MAAs).
A student pharmacist will be exposed to two different practice models: a pharmacist referral clinic (MTM and disease state management for smoking cessation, polypharmacy, non-adherence, and cardiovascular risk reduction, and other pharmacotherapy consults) and an interprofessional continuity-of-care clinic (COC) to improve medication use and enhance patient safety. Students in the COC clinic will identify medication-related problems through a comprehensive review of electronic records and gather all patient-specific relevant information to create an accurate problem and medication list. Students perform medication reconciliation with other providers (ex. community pharmacy, home-care, and specialty practices) to confirm accuracy of the medication list. Laboratory data must be reviewed to confirm efficacy and/or toxicity of specific drug therapy and to identify preventative health screening. The student must use all of this data to assist in making informed decisions to change drug therapy and optimize disease state management of common chronic problems.
Co-Director
Faculty-led UConn Summer Education Abroad in Traditional Chinese Medicine (6-credits)
Course Coordinator
PHRX 4044 - Dermatology Module (Required course for P2 students; Spring Semester)
PHRX 4056 - Bar & Grill Approach to Outpatient Pharmacy Practice (Elective course offered to P2 and P3 students; Fall Semester)