Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching

Physiology’s Ryan takes the time to put his students first

Ryan

Fortunately for Temple medical students, “Medical Physiology” is a required course — because James Ryan teaches it. This means everyone gets the chance to learn from this much-honored and -respected educator.

At the 2005 Faculty Awards Convocation last week, Ryan, professor of physiology at the School of Medicine, was recognized for his outstanding achievements with the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.

For most students, Ryan tops the list of excellent teachers because of the enormous respect and time he affords to all.

“Dr. Ryan always carves time out of his schedule to ensure both students’ understanding of subject material and their personal well-being. He doesn’t dismiss the medical students as a responsibility to be taken care of, but rather embraces us as future colleagues,” one student said.

“His devotion is evident in the endless stream of students who come to talk to him about physiology, ethical dilemmas, professionalism and personal concerns,” a colleague said.

Ryan learned the value of respect as a student at Villanova University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. While there, a teacher who later gave him his first job and encouraged him to pursue a doctorate taught Ryan a simple truth: People come before data.

“To him, nobody was more important than the students,” Ryan said. “This is the reason that I put students first, for they have to know that they are important. I like to get to know them, so they don’t think they are just a number.”

He believes that when students are treated as equals in the educational process, they can more easily transition from simply memorizing facts to employing logic to develop a conceptual understanding of a topic, an important skill in any field, but particularly so in medicine.

Ryan’s respect for students is equaled by the time he spends with them, which extends far beyond the requisite weekly office hours.

“I spend several hours a day meeting informally with students before and after class and during lunch. This is the most pleasurable part of my job,” he said. “It’s a time when I can personalize the medical school experience by allowing the students to identify me as a strong student advocate. At home, I check my e-mail every couple of hours until 11 p.m., answering students’ questions. I think if you’re involved in teaching a course, you have to be available seven days a week.”

Ryan joined the Temple faculty in 1975 after earning his doctorate in physiology from Hahnemann Medical College and performing postdoctoral research in gastroenterology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Since then, he’s published 100 papers, 300 abstracts and an annual physiology national board question-and-answer book with colleague Michael Wang, professor emeritus of physiology at Temple.

Currently, Ryan is associate chair and professor of physiology as well as the course director for medical physiology. He also provides a unique service in the extremely difficult and taxing role of chair of the student promotion, appeal and grievance committee, working through serious student issues in a fair and compassionate manner.

The Lindback is not Ryan’s first teaching award. Since 1999, he has been the No. 1-ranked member of the physiology teaching faculty and has won the American Medical Student Association’s Golden Apple Award twice.

Last year, Ryan, along with colleagues Ronald Tuma and Jim Heckman, initiated an educational experiment designed to address students’ increasing affinity for technology. Along with a colleague from Johns Hopkins, they used CD-ROMs to replace approximately 20 hours of classroom lecture on the cardiovascular system.

Student preferences were split down the middle, with half preferring traditional classroom learning and half preferring self-directed learning online. As a result, six hours of lecture were added back in this year to help strike a happy medium.

But whatever their learning preference, students love Ryan’s style and philosophy:

“He is able to create a comfortable and engaging atmosphere of interactive, participatory learning that is so effective at reinforcing the material and solidifying the important themes and concepts. He teaches with enthusiasm and refreshing energy, and I find myself looking forward to his next class.”

“I have never had a teacher who not only was fascinated by his own field but also had a vast desire to have his students understand and enjoy it as well.”

Ryan feels privileged to have spent his professional career at Temple.

“Temple has afforded me every opportunity to grow professionally and personally. As a result of my research, I’ve interacted with numerous faculty at Temple, and with colleagues throughout the United States and Europe,” he said. “However, as much as I enjoy that part of my career, it is the experience of teaching and interacting with students that provides me with the greatest satisfaction. I can’t think of anything more rewarding than to know you help students learn about their profession and, just as important, about themselves.”

- By Eryn Jelesiewicz