What do you enjoy most about teaching?
“Thinking about how to make learning as valuable as possible for students, so that they take the most important aspects of my subject areas, pharmacotherapy and evidence appraisal, with them into their future professional lives.”
How do you approach planning your teaching?
“I often start by asking myself what is most important for students to take away from a particular learning activity. The next step is to consider which teaching methods and tools are best suited to achieving that goal.”
“Learning activities are often more effective when students are actively involved, for example through small group discussions or interactive polling systems. These approaches encourage students to think independently and form their own opinions without feeling too much pressure. At the same time, they give me as a teacher the opportunity to discuss and address any misconceptions.”
What motivates you to continue developing your teaching?
“A key motivation for me as a teacher is contributing to the preparation of the next generation of professionals entering licensed healthcare professions. This means that teaching must be relevant, practical and useful, while also continuously evolving to remain up to date. That is what makes the work both meaningful and rewarding.”
Can students teach you something as well?
“Absolutely. One illustrative example comes from a teaching session on drug interaction alerts, which are warnings about potential risks associated with using two medicines at the same time. After reviewing the scientific evidence for a specific drug combination, we discussed how the alert had been classified and whether it might have been classified differently.”
“I expected a particular category to be suggested, but instead the students proposed a completely different category and justified their reasoning very convincingly based on the scientific evidence. It was truly an eye-opening experience for me to realise that there were strong arguments for placing the alert in three of the four categories used to reflect clinical significance.”
“The example highlights both the complexity of the field and how much can be learned through discussion and shared reasoning. The insights I gain from engaged and reflective students are both valuable and inspiring.”
What are your thoughts on AI in education?
“AI is a fantastic tool that continues to improve. At the same time, there are pitfalls, not least within my own subject areas.”
“One challenge is that incorrect answers can appear highly credible and well supported. Identifying such errors requires solid subject knowledge. This makes subject expertise, combined with a critical and scientific mindset, more important than ever.”
What is the most important thing you want students to take away from your teaching?
“In pharmacotherapy, as in many other fields, new studies are constantly being published and knowledge is continually evolving. The ability to critically and systematically interpret, evaluate and apply knowledge is therefore essential. Contributing to the development of that ability in students feels both important and highly motivating.”
TEXT: Josefin Bergenholtz
