Appreciating her time as an undergraduate student and graduating from the UConn School of Pharmacy in 2015, Adams rejoined Husky Nation as a faculty member in the fall of 2019. While working at Rhode Island Hospital, the Academic Medical Center for Brown University after graduation, Adams found her time working with learners, whether students or residents, to be most valuable. Through mentoring these learners and helping them reach their goals, Adams became driven to move this passion into a University setting as a professor. Wanting to give back to the School where she first found her love for pharmacy, Adams chose UConn – this time, as a professor.
“There is so much reward in seeing that lightbulb moment where students understand a hard concept or feel comfortable talking to a doctor.”
As a professor dedicated to her students, Adams looks forward to working each year to continuously improve lectures, curriculum, and experiences for her students. By valuing student feedback and watching her students implement in-class learning in clinical experiences, Adams strives to create more impactful and meaningful educational activities beyond the classroom.
The biggest challenge for Adams came during the transition back to in-person lectures and instruction after the pandemic. In pivoting out of this challenging time, Adams had to continuously adapt and rely on feedback from students.
Adams’s proudest accomplishment is the product of a collaboration with UConn’s Cassie Doyno and Lisa Holle as well as educators and software developers from Monash University in Australia. In collaborating, Adams and her colleagues developed the inpatient hospital version of a program called MyDispense. Described by Adams to be almost like a video game, MyDispense allows students to practice looking at patient charts, reviewing different medications, and deciding which medications are safe through interactive online simulations. In committing to inclusivity, MyDispense is a free, fully accessible software platform that any university can use.
In looking toward the future, Adams will strive to provide the best academic and professional foundations for students through the School’s new curriculum refresh. Likewise, as a believer in keeping students engaged, Adams plans to incorporate more active learning and immersive experiences in her classroom.
“Seeing the process of, over time, improving a course through feedback, practice, and experience has been remarkable.”
Adams will receive her award during commencement weekend in May.
