Dr. Steven Erickson Named 2018 Teaching Excellence Award Recipient
Steven Erickson, PharmD, has received the 2018 Teaching Excellence Award. This award recognizes exceptional teaching in the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy’s PharmD and PhD programs. Dr. Erickson is an associate professor in the department of clinical pharmacy, specializing in general medicine.
“To have a student truly learn, they must be motivated to learn. My job is to present information in a variety of ways, to motivate students to learn, and to assess their grasp on the material in a meaningful way,” explains Dr. Erickson. “I feel that students, whether enrolled in formal educational programs or adult learners upgrading skills and knowledge in continuing education courses, need to have ideas, information and concepts presented to them in a manner that allows them grasp it, understand it, question it, and apply it in a confident manner.”
Dr. Erickson’s students have the highest praise for the passion he brings to the classroom. One student said, “Dr. Erickson has the unique ability to inject enthusiasm and useful anecdotes to help students better retain information.” Another student commented that, “it's no secret that health economics, outcomes research, and pharmacy law, all by nature can be dry at times, but Dr. Erickson constantly exudes excitement and energy when he teaches, which makes the class significantly easier to understand."
Dr. Erickson earned his BS in Pharmacy from Ferris State College in 1980, worked for a few years as a community pharmacist with Meijer, and then went back to school to earn a PharmD degree from Wayne State University in 1984. He worked as a clinical coordinator for several hospitals in the Detroit area until 1990, when he joined the Wayne State University as a clinical track assistant professor with a practice in the adult general medicine ambulatory care clinic. Five years later, he joined the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy faculty as an assistant professor. He continued to practice in the adult general medicine ambulatory care clinic, working with pharmacy students in the clinic as well as teaching in the classroom. In 2011, Dr. Erickson transitioned from a practicing clinician to the social and administrative pharmacy group, teaching pharmacy law, pharmacy and the US health system, and a graduate level course. Throughout his career with U-M, Dr. Erickson has worked with PharmD students, Medical students, Dental students, Nursing student, students from the School of Public Health, as well as post-doctoral fellows and graduate students. Dr. Erickson’s research interests focused on the health care needs of people with disabilities and those who support them. In 2015, the University of Michigan Council for Disability Concerns recognized Dr. Erickson for his work in advocating for individuals with disabilities by encouraging their independence and for training health care professionals to do the same.
