The Power of Teaching

Under the Microscope: The Power of Teaching

Finding inspiration from students and helping them find their path.

Erica A. Wehrwein, PhD, FAPS, is an associate professor of physiology at Michigan State University (MSU). She is passionate about teaching, service and mentoring with students at the K–12, undergraduate and graduate/professional levels.

ROLE MODELS. My two main role models on my path to being a scientist are my mom and my award-winning high school biology and chemistry teacher, Mr. Ellis. My mother intentionally fostered my curiosity and gave me every opportunity to thrive. She was trained as an elementary school teacher and used those skills to teach me as a child. We went to museums, played learning games and explored. Mr. Ellis mentored me in an independent research course, where I learned experimental design, data collection and statistics. It was from Mr. Ellis that I first learned about graduate school.

MINDSET SHIFT. I try to see misfortune or mishaps as opportunities. I developed a severe allergy to the lab animals during my PhD such that I had to wear a full canister filtration mask (affectionately known as the Darth Vader mask) to finish my dissertation work in rats. This was a turning point that allowed me to explore human research and teaching. It led me to choose a Postdoctoral fellowship at Mayo Clinic in integrative human physiology. I am thankful for that fork in the road that took me to a very rewarding career focused on teaching a human physiology capstone laboratory course to pre-health students and medical school physiology, both of which draw heavily on my Mayo Clinic training.

A BRIGHT FUTURE. I am one of the rare people who feels that my work is truly aligned with my core values and purpose. It is an honor to be in this role. My favorite part of my job is to be inspired by new students every semester. I see students daily who aim to live a life of purpose and contribute to the world in positive ways. Through my lens, we have a lot to be hopeful for in the future because of them.

LIFE MEETINGS. I find deep purpose in the mentoring aspects of my job as I coach students on their career path and professional skills. I have “life meetings” to help my students find their next steps. I work with seniors and want to be present at this critical time as they step into their life beyond college and really find out who they are. My least favorite part of my job is dealing with the glacial pace of academia. I like to innovate, make positive changes, fix problems and have impact. It can be frustrating when things are stymied by unnecessary process and naysayers.

PHYSIOLOGY IS THE KEY. The biggest misconception about physiology is that it is an irrelevant discipline. Physiologists are the key to ensuring understanding of whole-body function, organ system interactions and feedback loops. While there are insights to be gained through advanced genetic and molecular techniques, we need scientists who can put the pieces together and study the impact at the level of the whole body. Now is the most crucial time to reinvigorate and restore the role of physiology in science and education.

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This article was originally published in the July 2024 issue of The Physiologist Magazine. Copyright © 2024 by the American Physiological Society.