The Duquesne University Center for Teaching Excellence named Yashika Kamte, a Ph.D. student studying pharmacology in the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, among the 2022 recipients of the Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Teaching. All winners and finalists will be recognized at the Celebration of Teaching Excellence on April 28.
The award committee, consisting of faculty members and graduate students from liberal arts, natural sciences, and pharmacy, noted Yashika’s development of learning materials, ability to think about the long-term understanding of students, use of real-world examples, and extensive preparation as reasons for winning the award.
“Receiving this award has made me believe in myself as an educator,” Yashika said. “The opportunity for graduate students to teach and improve my teaching skills motivated me to come to Duquesne. Moreover, I am truly grateful to the faculty in the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences who have constantly supported me.”
As a teaching assistant, Yashika helps faculty in various Ability-Based Learning Experience (ABLE) labs, and reviews calculations and experiment protocols with student pharmacists while providing real-world examples of how the skills developed in the labs will be used.
In infectious disease courses, Yashika attends classes and helps the faculty members create exam questions and with grading. Finally, in human physiology and pathology courses, Yashika serves as a tutor and holds office hours to help student pharmacists better understand the material and prepare for exams and has also taught recitation sections.
“My goal for my students has always been to promote long-term understanding of the subject and not just to ace exams,” Yashika said. “I have found that many students do learn better when they are provided with relevant and relatable examples. This has primarily been my teaching motto.” After earning her Ph.D., Yashika plans to accept a postdoctoral position in the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles where she will continue teaching and continue her research of developing therapeutics for brain infections prevalent in children.
Jacob Betzner 