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Faculty Teaching Medal 2021

Faculty Teaching Medal 2021

Dr Siddharth Sridhar
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine

What is your main teaching philosophy?
Learning medical microbiology poses unique challenges to students because they are not only expected to recognize the names and attributes of dozens of microorganisms, but also integrate this knowledge with clinical pathology, diagnostics, and treatment. Therefore, in teaching medical microbiology, it is not sufficient to merely deliver lecture content, but a mental framework to organize such information must also be provided.Teaching ‘how to learn’ is crucial because it provides students a scaffold for building microbiology knowledge for the rest of their careers. Given the vast scope of the subject matter to be delivered within a finite period of time, organizational frameworks empower students to continue acquiring knowledge systematically outside the classroom. In practice, I apply this philosophy in my teaching sessions by first providing students practical mental maps (traced out in PowerPoint slides) for organizing the information about to be delivered. I then present the teaching material within this framework throughout the session. This enables organized delivery of information on a wide range of microorganisms in the allotted time and makes it easier for students to integrate new information from their evolving understanding of clinical practice.

During practical sessions and tutorials for MBBS students, I regularly simulate real-life clinical scenarios and personal clinical experiences to train students on ‘how to apply’ gained knowledge using a heuristic approach. In the more traditional setting of lectures, I regularly reinforce key concepts and the overall framework of the lecture so that students come away with a sense of clarity rather than feeling drowned in technical jargon.

Last but not least, I believe that conveying my own love for my subject is the most important teaching tool because enthusiasm is infectious and enthusiastic students are better learners.

What is the most rewarding part of teaching?
For me, the most rewarding part of teaching is when I can convey difficult concepts to students in a manner that is accessible and interesting. It is particularly gratifying when students are motivated to take their knowledge of medical microbiology further and undertake research or clinical attachments in the department.

What have been your greatest challenges in teaching and how did you overcome them?
The greatest challenge is to identify the specific obstacles students face in acquiring requisite knowledge and skills for good practice in healthcare. To overcome this, I try to ‘think like a student’ by reflecting on my own experiences as a learner of the course content. I also seek to emulate good teaching habits of particularly effective teachers back from my student years. I use questions raised by students after teaching sessions to improve the course material further. This helps me deliver course content in a manner that is oriented towards students.