For NDSU associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences Sathish Venkatachalem, mentorship shaped his own career path when he was an undergraduate student studying biochemistry and has made him the leader he is today in the classroom.
Seeing students thrive is one of Sathish Venkatachalem’s greatest professional joys. In his ninth-year teaching at NDSU, Venkatachalem’s main priority is to have a positive influence that lasts beyond a student’s time at NDSU.
For Venkatachalem, an associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, mentorship shaped his own career path when he was an undergraduate student studying biochemistry and has made him the leader he is today in the classroom.
“As a mentor and a teacher, I feel it is my responsibility to help students meet their fullest potential by providing them an environment that is both interactive and supportive,” Venkatachalem said. “My goal as a professor is to have a lasting impression on my students, generate excitement about biomedical sciences, as well as teach them to critically review and understand the many diverse sides of the field.”
Venkatachalem’s impact on his students is evident in the number of post-doctoral fellows, resident fellows, junior faculties and others who have gone on to become successful in their fields. Many of his former students keep in touch, a testament to the long-lasting impression he makes.
Venkatachalem teaches professional-level pharmaceutical sciences courses, as well as an undergraduate biological sciences individual research study course. In the classroom, he encourages students to ask questions and actively engage in discussions. Venkatachalem ensures content is understandable by simplifying concepts and using relevant analogies to convey complex scientific concepts and principals.
“This style of teaching is how past professors swayed my current career choice. I feel strongly that this approach to teaching will influence and excite future students to pursue a career in the biomedical sciences,” he said.
In many ways, teaching has benefitted Venkatachalem as much as it has his students.
“I believe that that the privilege of teaching a university professional-level course is that it has always provided me with an opportunity for continual learning and growth as a researcher,” he said. “Teaching and learning motivate me toward clinical science.”
In addition to his role in the classroom, Venkatachalem is influential in the lab. His research includes studies on human lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lymphangioleiomyomatosis disease, pulmonary hypertension, as well as breast cancer.
Undergraduate and graduate students play a crucial role in Venkatachalem’s lab where they gain hands-on, applicable experience. Several of the students working with Venkatachalem go on to medical school.
Venkatachalem’s lab is supported by several research grants. He recently was awarded a highly competitive $2.4 million National Institutes of Health grant, for his research seeking to reduce severe asthma symptoms.
Going forward, Venkatachalem is excited to continue applying his teaching and mentoring skills, and he’s proud to watch NDSU’s future biomedical sciences leaders thrive.
“The students are highly motivated, both in learning the basic concepts and the developing concepts in the field,” he said. “They’re willing to learn new ideas in emerging science.”
