Teaching Statement

My teaching philosophy is a reflection of my life in education and my passion for learning from both an academic perspective and from a personal, human perspective. My journey to this point has taken me across a variety of settings and led to interactions with people from innumerable backgrounds. This sense of connection of with people motivates me to be a leader. For me, teaching is a pillar of leadership, with a genuine sense of wanting to see other people succeed. To help guide people to success, I have adapted the core of my teaching philosophy around a dedication to supporting the humanity of learning, connecting on an individual level, and incorporating feedback to grow as a teacher.

Learning cannot be extracted from life. And life cannot be extracted from learning. It is an important part of being human. Just as life is complex, learning is never as simple as opening a book and memorizing the content. Learning involves a technical understanding and a humanized understanding of knowledge. The context within which we learn is shaped by our experiences and circumstances. For the current generation of learners, at every level from primary education to the post-graduate level, the coronavirus pandemic has made this ever clearer. Much of what we learn in life is more fundamental and important than what is taught in a classroom. This is particularly true in the long-term when we may no longer remember many of the specifics we learned from classes. But, continuing to learn and adapt as humans needs a foundation, and teachers are often found at that foundation. Whether it is timely encouragement, supporting an interest, or a certain piece of advice, the humanity expressed by teachers goes beyond any single piece of knowledge in providing a positive influence on learners.

Connecting with learners to provide that positive influence is one of the most difficult aspects of teaching. On some level, it is individualized in that every person and every circumstance is different, but there are some ways to be consistent in making that connection as a teacher. First, is to listen to the learner. Being patient, hearing who they are and what they need as a learner is essential for making that connection. Second, is to be available. Being heard helps, but being heard at the right time is cathartic. I experienced that as a student during undergraduate course work and I intend to adopt this into my way of teaching as well. And third, to express support to learners in words, whether vocally or in writing. This expression of support affirms to the learner that they have been heard. As a whole, my goal in making this connection as a teacher is to meet the learner where they are.

No teacher is perfect. One of the hallmarks of a great teacher in my mind is one who is also a learner. One can be an expert in a subject, and still a learner. It is true for both the content of teaching and the process of teaching. And sometimes, the process of teaching, and reaching out to make a connection with a learner or to teach from a human perspective does not meet the expectations of the learner. When that happens, it is the responsibility of the teacher to attempt to find out why, determine if there are any changes that could lead to improvements, and to grow as a teacher. Sometimes the problem will be outside of teacher's control; Other times there may be an objection to the content being taught; and still other times feedback from different learners may conflict. As a teacher, I hope to navigate the feedback I receive with intentional reflection to find the best way to improve myself and to improve circumstances for learners.

Teaching is a meaningful endeavor. As a physician I am keenly aware that the word doctor originates from the Latin word for teacher. But it is important to me beyond the scope of "did you know" facts, having been raised by a mother who went back to college to become a teacher while I was in middle school and who even before then always promoted the value of education. With my additional background in bioethics and medical informatics, I believe that I can make a significant contribution by teaching in the context changing environment of medicine, increasingly reliant on technology. Now with the rise of artificial intelligence in health care, it is even more important for learners to be able to adapt and think through these issues to arrive at the best decisions to avoid contributing to bias and inequity in health. Here, my teaching philosophy on the humanity of learning deeply connects with the humanity of medicine. I find that the sense of shared humanity and a life of learning is an irreplaceable aspect of both teaching and medicine.

Teaching Experiences

Clinical Teaching: I began my clinical teaching experience while still in medical school as a 4th year student co-lead for a clinical practice course for first year medical students. This involved teaching and displaying physical exam maneuvers and patient interview skills to a small group of 1st year students. During residency, I worked with medical students and junior colleagues on the clinical wards.

Classroom Teaching: I served as the teaching assistant for a biomedical informatics course at OHSU focused on facilitating biomedical informatics fellows meeting and sharing knowledge which included the tasks of moderating for presentations and managing the schedule. I have also served as a course assistant at VUMC for a course on technology and society which included helping to facilitate class discussions on readings and running a class session on the ethics of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

Training Modules: The COVID-19 pandemic acted as an impetus for long-distnace learning. And in addition, considering the packed curriculum for medical schools, residency programs, and continuing medical education requirements, online training modules have a significant role in teaching knowledge and skills to learners in healthcare. To fill a gap in education on artificial intelligence in healthcare with concern for handling AI systems and the possiblity of algorithmic bias, I developed an online training module for clinicians. This work lead to the LIEAF best paper award at the 2022 AMIA symposium.