From PhD to provost awardee: Jeff Johnston stays student-centered
Despite receiving one of the most prestigious teaching awards at The Ohio State University, Jeffrey Johnston, PhD ’02, senior lecturer at The Ohio State College of Pharmacy, is quick to acknowledge that the path to stellar instructor was no picnic.
“After earning my PhD, I never thought I would end up teaching for more than 20 years,” he confessed with a laugh. “When I did end up in the classroom, I jumped in woefully unprepared and naive.”
Dr. Johnston (Dr. J, as he is known to his students) is one of six recipients across the university awarded the 2025 Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer. This prestigious award recognizes members of the Ohio State community who elevate student success through teaching excellence.
After earning his PhD in pharmaceutics at Ohio State in 2002, Dr. Johnston stayed at the College of Pharmacy to investigate drug transporters as a post-doctoral researcher. He was tapped to take over 6000-level pharmacy courses in autumn 2003 upon the departure of Professor Peter Swaan, PhD, M Pharm.
“Unfortunately—for both my students and me—I have to admit that in my first quarter of teaching, I tried to do too much,” he said. “I packed my lectures and slides with so much information and little guidance or learning objectives, which ultimately made it difficult for students to connect with the content and learn.”
Luckily, Dr. Johnston’s chair and mentor at the time, Jim Dalton, PhD ’90, took him under his wing when the Student Evaluations of Instruction (SEI) for that first course arrived.
“When I got those first SEI results, I remember giving myself a pat on the back,” Dr. Johnston recalled, exasperated. “When I walked into a meeting with Jim to review those SEIs, I learned that scores in the low threes—even for a first-time taught course—were not exactly ideal.”
" I’m continually changing and improving along with my students."
Dr. Dalton offered him a reorientation of sorts, co-teaching a first-year PharmD course for a quarter.
“It was with Jim that I was able to make the switch to really connect with students in my classes,” Dr. Johnston said. “In fact, I received the Miriam R. Balshone Award for Distinguished Teaching in PharmD that very first year of teaching, thanks in part to Jim’s mentorship.”
With that mentorship, Dr. Johnston has built incredible connections with pharmacy students for two decades and incorporated pedagogical approaches to support the many learning styles of today’s students.
“Every class possesses a unique character, and Dr. Johnston adeptly tailors his approach to leverage the strengths and address the weaknesses of each unique group of students he encounters,” said Raj Govindarajan, PhD, professor and chair of the Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology at the college. “His ultimate objective is to instill in each student the skills and mindset of a lifelong learner.”
Consistently, students leave Dr. Johnston’s class with a sense of accountability to their instructor.
“It’s hard to develop a relationship between student and professor when a class is 100% online, but somehow Dr. Johnston managed to do it,” said a student nominator for the provost award. “The personalized comments and videos that Dr. Johnston sent after each exam were something I’ve never seen another professor take the time to do, and I really appreciate it. It made me want to do well in his class because I felt that he was taking the time to get to know me.”
In 2015, the college introduced its Inquire, Innovate and Involve (I3) curriculum to the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. Dr. Johnston was a key part of the faculty team that designed the curriculum, which helps students develop comprehensive problem-solving through active learning strategies, integration of pharmaceutical and clinical sciences and earlier introduction of integrated practical experiences for students.
As Dr. Johnston’s skills as an instructor have grown, so have his teaching responsibilities. Today, his curriculum ranges from physical pharmacy to advanced pharmacokinetics, a combination described by Dr. Govindarajan as “some of the least-liked and most-difficult material taught at any college of pharmacy.”
Dr. Johnston has made an effort to incorporate the inspiring work of his colleagues into his own teaching efforts.
“I attribute so much of my continued success and growth as an instructor to my early mentors, Jim and Dr. Cari Brackett, as well as my colleagues at the college. Even if you don’t know that you’ve been an inspiration to me, I’ve taken notes on what works in your classrooms, and that’s really shaped my style as an instructor,” Dr. Johnston said while addressing attendees of Ediphy 2025 – the College of Pharmacy’s annual teaching innovation event.
Dr. Johnston passes on his student-focused and evidence-based pedagogy through traditional classrooms and as a mentor to both young faculty and students pursuing instructional experience. By supporting students as individuals and professionals, he finds his own learning moments along the way.
“By focusing on the students, I can often see where some tools of teaching and learning might not work with a certain cohort of students. That means that I’m continually changing and improving along with my students,” Dr. Johnston said. “We can’t teach them everything! Ultimately, it’s all about giving them the tools and attention to be great learners.”