Julie Davis Turner
Van Andel Institute Graduate School Associate Dean
Grand Rapids, Michigan
I focus on curriculum innovation and educational development, as well as program evaluation. Curricular innovation, continuous program review, and full-circle feedback fuel improvement in our PhD program by identifying important “next steps”. Student success is a primary motivator and so we communicate explicit expectations, complementing curricular design and educational development among faculty. With less than 30 students (total!), our graduate school delivers individualized instruction and professional development for each doctoral candidate with the mission to develop leaders in biomedical research.
My experience spans 20 years of teaching in the public and private sectors, designing and evaluating novel STEM curriculum, directing practice-based assessment initiatives, and developing programs to bring high-content to a low-stress environment. To increase success, I spend large efforts to design, execute, and evaluate peer mentoring programs among faculty, graduate students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows to facilitate their scientific growth.