Dr. Jessica Burchette, a pharmacist and associate professor at East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, has been awarded the university’s Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching.
The Distinguished Faculty Awards are the highest honors presented to faculty at ETSU for teaching, research and service.
“Dr. Burchette is a standout faculty member in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the GCOP,” wrote Burchette’s nominator. “She is a gifted teacher, who, despite the number of accolades she has already received, is committed to continuing to improve the learning experience for her students.”
Burchette, a native of Newport, earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at Tusculum University and was a member of the Gatton College of Pharmacy’s inaugural Class of 2010. She completed her pharmacy practice residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, and afterward returned to Gatton for her internal medicine residency.
She joined the college as an assistant professor in 2012, specializing in pulmonary disorders and basic critical care concepts.
“When I got to pharmacy school, the thing that really drew me to the educational piece was seeing what impact that my educators and my professors had on me and really wanting to give that back to the students and the profession,” said Burchette. “I feel that, by teaching students, I impact so many more patients than I would if I practiced solely on my own.
“It’s really a chance to give more, and give back,” she continued.
Burchette’s love for teaching didn’t start during pharmacy school, however. It goes all the way back to her childhood.
“I actually always wanted to be a teacher,” said Burchette. “When I was younger, my family would laugh because I would sit around and make my cousins do classes when they were very young -- I always kind of felt that pull.”
When it comes to the classroom, Burchette’s teaching philosophy is all about meeting the students where they are.
“Every student comes to us with a different background and each class has a different personality and really a way that they look for things to go,” Burchette said. “My job is to really get to know them as people and to try to use that interpersonal relationship to be able to bring them along in their pharmacy education.”
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Video Transcript
Jessica Burchette:
So my name is Jessica Burchett, and here at the College of Pharmacy, I teach primarily two different things. One, I teach our students pulmonary disorders, and I also teach our students about basic critical care concepts. Many of our students in there have been in a hospital before, and when they go into their fourth year rotation, we want them to have an idea of what it's like for the patients to be in the intensive care unit and to have some background knowledge on the different terms and medications they might see there. So actually always wanted to be a teacher. When I was younger, my family would laugh because I would sit around and make my cousins do classes when they were very young. I always kind of felt that pool when I was going to pharmacy school. The thing that really drew me to the educational piece was seeing water impact that my educators and my professors had on me and really wanting to give that back to the students and the profession. So my job is to really get to know them as people and to try to use that interpersonal relationship to be able to bring them along in their pharmacy education. I feel like that teaching the students I impact so many more patients than I would if I practice solely on my own. So it's really a chance to give more and give back. I feel like the honor of this award has really invigorated me to continue to try new things in the classroom. And I do feel like it's some validation in that the way that I approach the classroom, while may not be traditional, is actually very valid and very useful for the students.