What ßÙßÇÂþ»­’s Sarah Spinler has learned after 40 years of teaching

Teaching isn’t for everyone. It takes time, dedication and sacrifices to help guide the next generation of students. Yet, ßÙßÇÂþ»­â€™s Professor Sarah Spinler gladly answered the call four decades ago.

Now, the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences professor is reflecting on her dedication to pharmacy education.

Q: How did you get into teaching? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do?

I’ve always been curious and drawn to helping others learn, even as early as grade school when I tutored classmates. That continued into high school and college, where I enjoyed explaining difficult concepts to peers. During pharmacy school, I had outstanding mentors who guided me and showed me what great teaching looks like. Their influence inspired me to pursue teaching as a career because I wanted to give back in the same way they had supported me.

Q: What part of teaching do you enjoy the most?

Definitely not the grading! The most rewarding part is when students reach out years after graduation and share how much they truly learned, even if they didn’t realize it at the time. I once had a student come up to me eight years later to say how much my teaching had shaped their understanding and practice of pharmacy. Another rewarding moment is when students in school suddenly discover they love cardiology and want to pursue it as a career. Those moments allow me to continue working with them beyond the classroom and mentor them as they move deeper into a love of patient care we both share.

Q: Has cardiology always been your main teaching focus?

Yes, cardiology has always been my main focus, although I didn’t initially set out to specialize in it. Ironically, I was drawn to cardiology because it was the subject I understood the least in pharmacy school, and my curiosity made me want to learn more. Over time, that curiosity became a passion, and I pursued postgraduate residency training that combined cardiology and critical care. That training helped me figure out which area I wanted to dedicate myself to. Four decades later, cardiology pharmacy has grown into a diverse field with many sub-specialties, and I’ve been fortunate to be part of its growth.

Q: How have you seen yourself grow or change as a professor over the last four decades?

Becoming a parent was one of the biggest influences on my teaching style. At one point, my children were the same age as my students, and that gave me a deeper ability to understand things from a student’s perspective. Over time, I learned that students aren’t at the same level as trained clinicians yet, so my role is to help them progress step by step rather than expecting immediate mastery. Some people would call that a softening, but I think it’s really a more effective and empathetic way to teach. That patience has made me a better educator and mentor over the years. One of my self-guiding principles has always been fairness, which is great when you grade but gets tested when you try to treat students as individuals on their own l think that I have been better able to balance that over the past decade of teaching.

Q: What makes teaching in a clinical setting rewarding for you?

Clinical teaching has allowed me to impact a wide range of learners beyond pharmacy students, including physicians in training, cardiology fellows, medical residents, medical students, and nurses. Working in cardiology has given me the opportunity to contribute to the education of entire healthcare teams, which is very rewarding. I’ve also mentored postgraduate pharmacy trainees in cardiology pharmacy, and it’s been exciting to watch them build impressive careers — some have become deans, department chairs and accomplished researchers and clinical pharmacists. Seeing their growth affirms that I’ve made a lasting contribution to their professional journey. It also helps me remind current students that pharmacy careers can take many different directions, and it’s okay to change paths along the way.

Q: What advice would you give someone considering teaching in pharmacy?

My advice is to pursue teaching if you love it, but also recognize that academia offers more than just classroom instruction. As a faculty member, you get to wear many hats — you’re not only teaching but also doing research, administration and direct patient care. The impact you make on patients’ lives matters. That variety keeps the work interesting and helps prevent burnout. It also creates flexibility, which allows for better work–life balance over the long term. Academia is often overlooked as a career path in pharmacy, but it’s rewarding, dynamic, and provides opportunities for growth in many directions.

Q: Is there anything you’ve carried with you that’s helped you on your journey?

Longevity in teaching comes from remembering the impact your own teachers had on you. I can still recall pivotal classroom moments and faculty who shaped my path more than 40 years ago. Their influence has stayed with me throughout my career, and I try to create those same lasting moments for my students today. At the end of the day, teaching is about planting seeds of curiosity and confidence that students may not appreciate until years later—but when they do, it’s incredibly rewarding.