By Terri Coles

For Dr. Tiffany Lee, teaching means cultivating a learning community where students bring their experiences, insights and curiosity to every class. Whether she’s working with pharmacists advancing their education in Memorial’s PharmD for Working Professionals program or with entry-to-practice students, her approach is grounded in empathy, flexibility and practical application.

Dr. Lee teaches three to four courses each year, from face-to-face clinical skills sessions to online courses, emphasizing the educational and personal value of students’ experiences in every setting.

“Regardless of the student type that you’re teaching, each of them brings so much value to the classroom,” says Dr. Lee, an assistant professor in Memorial’s School of Pharmacy. “Every one of them has life experiences, whether as a working pharmacist or as an undergraduate student.”

She fosters a collaborative environment where students learn not only from her but also from each other. Recently, feedback from one student prompted her to re-examine standard patient documentation language. Based on that feedback, she incorporated that discussion—and possible alternatives—into her class.

"It’s very much about promoting—in my classroom, anyway—this community of learning, and we’re here to support each other. We’re all friends here,” says Dr. Lee, who received Memorial’s 2024 President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Teaching Across the Spectrum of Experience

Because she teaches in both the entry-to-practice and working professionals programs, Dr. Lee encounters students at many stages of their educational and professional journeys, from across Canada and beyond. Each brings distinct strengths—and challenges—to the classroom.

Working professionals bring perspectives from diverse practice environments: urban and rural settings, different cultural contexts and varying provincial regulations. These differences enrich discussion but also require her to adapt her teaching approach.

Dr. Lee also supports students adjusting to online learning by sharing tutorials on library resources, referencing software and digital tools. Her own PhD experience informs how she helps learners navigate academic challenges.

Her teaching philosophy emphasizes flexibility and accessibility. “If students can’t be there in person, I try to offer a hybrid approach, or I’ll record the session and make it available after class,” she says.

Incorporating Flexibility and Empathy

In the entry-to-practice program, Dr. Lee works with younger students who bring a range of backgrounds and life experiences. Many are drawn to empathy and holistic care, which she supports through experiential learning—such as inviting patients with lived experience to share their stories.

"When students can come from a place of sharing information from experience, you can hear the empathy behind it,” she says.

The PharmD for Working Professionals program, launched in 2018 and now welcoming its final cohort, offers pharmacists a part-time path to earn their PharmD through mostly online study combined with in-person clinical skills and workplace-based learning.

Teaching in the part-time program means guiding students nationwide through both online and in-person experiences, helping them bridge their prior training with advanced professional practice. Because they study while working, students can apply new learning in real time and share current workplace insights with peers.

Celebrating Small Wins

Refreshing teaching practice can be challenging amid other demands, Dr. Lee acknowledges, but she emphasizes the importance of making time to learn, connect and reflect. That might mean taking advantage of Memorial’s professional development offerings, engaging in wider networks or fostering collaboration and community across disciplines.

"You need to celebrate small wins,” she says. “If you can embed one more interactive component into your lecture or course in a semester, that’s a win that you need to celebrate.”

Her advice: be flexible, focus on continuous improvement and nurture meaningful connections with students and colleagues.

"We can’t be all things to everybody at all times,” she said, “but you can be genuine and flexible.”

Terri Coles

Terri Coles is CITL's senior communications advisor. She has worked in communications with multiple units at Memorial, including the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Office of the Vice-Provost, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism. She holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from Memorial University and a Master of Arts in Journalism from Western University.