My teaching philosophy has always been based upon the premise that all people, at whatever stage in their education, are students with the desire and capacity for intellectual growth. That is, I am not, as a teacher, a mere fund or source of information. I am, rather, a person whose own education thus far has provided me with the experience to help formulate the questions which lead to a more profound understanding not only of science, but of nature in general and the history of ideas. My classroom is above all a forum for a never-ending dialog and a communal exploration of scientific and humanistic propositions.
As the leader of a research laboratory, I am always with students, exposing them to each and every stage of the research process. This one-on-one type of interaction is the most essential part of an educator's responsibilities. Only through personal interaction can I find which methods have been successful and how to refine or alter those which are not. Certainly, individual attention and mentorship is desired and needed at all stages of learning, even among college students. In the lecture hall, however many students there may be (from a small prison class of 10-15 to a large hall of over 500), it is still vitally important that the students see my presentations not as reiterations of conclusions and dogmas, but as demonstrations of discoveries in which they, the students, are equally involved.
| March, 2023 - Community Grand Rounds: Prison Healthcare (member of speaker panel) at Albany Medical College |
| March, 2022 - The Gist of Concussions: Predicting Intentions to Report Concussion Symptoms in At-Risk Groups at VISN 6 MIRECC Translational Science Meeting |
| February, 2019 - Adolescence and Criminal Law, Adolescence and Early Adulthood (HD 1170) at Cornell University (Dr. Anthony Burrow) |
| October, 2018 - Developmental Neuroscience, Infancy and Childhood (HD 1150) at Cornell University (Dr. Tamar Kushnir) |