Nick Denton, PhD
Senior Lecturer
Pharmacy Education and Innovation
I earned by BS in Biomedical Science at Ohio State ('13) and did my PhD research at Nationwide Children's Hospital through Ohio State ('18). In both my decision to be a student and then a faculty member of Ohio State was the university's ability to leverage both the opportunities of one of the largest universities in the nation while also creating specialized programs that create a small community feeling where students get to know each other and their instructors. You don't see many institutions that excel in both providing such expansive opportunities or resources to students and faculty while also building community/mentorship.
What Honors course do you teach and how does it compare to the non-Honors course?
I co-instruct PHR2530E: Intro to Pharmaceutical Science Research, where my co-instructor, Chris Coss, and I provide students with a variety of viewpoints on what pharmaceutical science research is, how research investigations are designed and communicated/published. While we aim to provide all students with the knowledge to engage in pharmaceutical science research through small group discussions and journal club, our honors embedded students in particular are guided in refining their training plan to identify research opportunities that align with their career goals and list actionable steps with a timeline to apply for research opportunities.
How do you make your class enriching for students to engage with the subject?
We recognize that students are coming into our course with a variety of interests in the research topics and careers that interests them, so we like to pull in a variety of viewpoints from panels of peer researchers and research advisors that engage students of all interests. Our lectures are also student centered with instructors facilitating student discussion around socially annotated readings and research articles that emphasize aspects of pharmaceutical science research as students are talking through their own research designs and training plans.
What has been a highlight of your teaching engagement experience?
As an education practitioner, it's always a highlight to hear back from my students because they say things like, "I followed up with that researcher or fellowship we mentioned in class, and I got the research job" or "I've started grad school and having such an easier time at journal club and lab meetings because of all the practice I had in your course.”
As an education researcher, I'm very proud of my undergrad research assistants that are all being recognized for their hard work and curiosity with invitations to present their research at national conferences and publish in peer reviewed research journals!