“Learning is experience. Everything else is just information.”
— Albert Einstein

Teaching Experience

I have fulfilled many roles as an educator in a broad range of classroom settings. My experience includes team teaching cadaver lab-based gross anatomy at the medical school level (Washington University School of Medicine, 2014-Current), acting as a primary course instructor for undergraduate intro and seminar courses in  Biological Anthropology (Duke University 2012, 2013 Summer Sessions, 2014 Spring), and acting as graduate teaching assistant (New Mexico State University 2006-2008, Duke University 2008-2013) for undergraduate, graduate, and medical school courses. My degree from Duke University (Ph.D., 2014) includes a Certificate in College Teaching (CCT) from the graduate school, which provided me with personalized feedback on teaching style and pedagogical training in course design, student assessment, and visual communication. In 2012, I participated in the Duke University Teaching Triangles program, which connects peers from the CCT program to observe and reflect on one another’s teaching. 

I have had the opportunity to work with students at  a public university (New Mexico State University, Sociology-Anthropology) while working towards my Master’s degree, as well as at a research-focused private institutions during my Ph.D. training (Duke University, Evolutionary Anthropology) and postdoctoral position (Washington University School of Medicine). In the process, I have gained an appreciation for the broad range of motivating factors for students pursuing a higher education, including non-majors, pre-health students, graduate student in Biological Anthropology, and medical students at (Duke University and Washington University Medical School Gross Anatomy courses). I have had the opportunity to interact with these students via lectures, office hours, and review sessions for introductory classes with enrollment of up to 100 students (e.g. New Mexico State University, ANTH201: Introduction to Anthropology), in large cadaver-based laboratory sessions (Duke University and Washington University medical anatomy courses), in a smaller setting via small group anatomy prosection demonstrations (e.g. Duke University, EVANTH 133L: Human Body, EVANTH 235L: Primate Anatomy, Washington University "breakout sessions" during medical anatomy), and as the primary instructor for small enrollment courses (eight to ten students) utilizing lecture, lab, and discussion-based classroom activities (Duke University, EVANTH101: Introduction to Evolutionary Anthropology, EVANTH590S: 3D Visualization).

As a recipient of the Bass Instruction Fellowship, I developed an original undergraduate course concerning the use of three-dimensional visualization in the anthropological and medical sciences for the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University (Spring 2014, EVANTH590S: 3D Visualization). This "capstone course" was formulated for junior and senior level students with some knowledge of osteology or anatomy. The course took a more in-depth look at the use of medical and scientific imaging technology (e.g. MRI, CT scans) in comparative anatomy, paleontology, and clinical use through student-led discussions of primary scientific literature and interaction with cross-sectional anatomy through demonstrations, computer-based lab assignments (example lab assignment available on the course website), and student research projects (see course links below).  

In addition to my college-level teaching experience, I have had the opportunity to interact with young gifted students as an anatomy instructor for the 2014 Summer Session at Duke T.I.P. (Talent Identification Program) and for the 2013 "capstone" events for the Duke University student-led outreach program F.E.M.M.E.S. (Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering, and Science). 

My Teaching Links