Paul Dobesh, Pharm.D., associate professor, College of Pharmacy, is among three UNMC faculty members who will receive Outstanding Teacher Awards at the April 25 Annual Faculty meeting.
Below, Dr. Dobesh reflects on what it means to be a teacher.
- Name: Paul Dobesh, Pharm.D.
- Title: Associate professor of pharmacy practice, College of Pharmacy
- Joined UNMC: January 2005
- Hometown: Gregory, S.D.
What are the greatest rewards of being a teacher?
Seeing your students succeed. While seeing students succeed on exams and in the classroom is great, it is even more rewarding to see them succeed beyond the classroom. Seeing students selected for high-quality residencies or getting great jobs is awesome. Nothing beats when you see a student a couple of years after graduation and they take the time to talk with you and thank you for working with them.
Describe a moment in your career when you realized you had picked the right occupation.
Not sure about a “moment.” I do know that I was not a good teacher when I started. I actually considered changing careers. Now, when I finish a lecture and it seems that the students were engaged and asking questions, that is the biggest rush in the world.
What are the biggest challenges you face as a teacher?
Teaching is so much more than just walking in and giving a lecture. Trying to always be sure you are up-to-date and providing real world experience takes time. I try very hard to come up with methods of providing students opportunities to apply the knowledge they get from the classroom. The other main challenge is trying to reach all of the students in a given class. I have worked over the years on different methods of presenting information since there are different types of learners.
How do you know when you’ve been successful as a teacher?
When you see that moment when the student “gets it.” … That is what I think every teacher is after.
List three things few people know about you.
- I am a self-proclaimed Walt Disney World expert. Our family loves to go to Walt Disney World almost every year. Between going there, reading books and taking backstage tours, we have become self-proclaimed experts on the parks and the entire Disney experience.
- I do a medical mission trip almost every year to Belize through my local church.
- I have both a city and country background. I lived in New Jersey until I was 14 years old. Then my grandfather died in a car accident and we moved out to South Dakota to run the family farm. Just a little culture shock at the age of 14.
Wish we could be there to see you get this award! Congratulations! Jen, Andrew, Claire and Luke.
Congrats Paul – awesome job!
Congratulations, Paul!
Congratulations! You know your Grandma Dobesh always did her best in teaching and always connected with her students. We are proud of you.
Congratulations Paul – You are a great example for your students!