The Challenges and the Joys of Organic Chemistry
An Interview with CTD Instructor Hanna Lazzizzera, PharmD, with CTD's Kevin Warman
Pursuing a career in the sciences, especially medicine, can be an intimidating task even for the most skilled and gifted learners. But when students are given the right tools and have a growth mindset, even the most daunting challenges are manageable. For this interview, CTD assistant coordinator, Kevin Warman, sat down with instructor, Hanna Lazzizzera, PharmD, who teaches the organic chemistry course for students in grades 9-12 attending the Academic Summer Camp. Hanna discusses the joy of learning and teaching chemistry and gives advice to students who want to pursue a career in STEM.
Kevin: Hanna, can you tell us a little bit about your educational journey and why you love teaching chemistry?
Hanna: My educational journey was born from a love of connecting with people and a passion for science and healthcare. While still in pharmacy school, teaching through pre-college programs provided me the opportunity to show high school students how exciting it can be to study science. It also gave me the chance to demonstrate what a career in healthcare can truly look like. For high school students, I think it can be really helpful to hear from working professionals, because it gives context for what they’re studying so hard to achieve. I feel that I can connect well with my students, because my career in education began when I was still a student myself.
Chemistry, in particular, is a special subject. For some, it feels like it comes very naturally, while others have to work extra diligently to adapt to a new way of thinking. As an instructor, I cherish the opportunity to take challenging subjects, particularly the science courses that I greatly enjoy, and adapt them in a way that can be palatable to everyone. Like other STEM courses, chemistry is valuable for the way that it can teach students how to understand the world around them. A working knowledge of chemistry is integral to understanding how medications work in the body, so I love to use examples from my pharmacy practice as a way to demonstrate the properties of chemistry in action.
Kevin: Organic Chemistry is sometimes thought of as a "hard" or "scary course." Hanna, what was your experience learning organic chemistry? What advice would you share with students who might be on the fence about taking an organic chemistry class?
Hanna: Honestly, I was very challenged by the two organic chemistry classes that I took in college. It wasn’t until I was in pharmacy school learning about medicinal chemistry that many of the foundational concepts of organic chemistry suddenly made sense to me. In retrospect, I came to understand that organic chemistry is similar to learning another language, and I had approached it like any other science class. Understanding the history of the field itself and mastering the nomenclature of organic compounds is crucial in having success moving forward with the manipulation of chemical reactions.
My advice to students who are interested, yet feeling intimidated, by taking organic chemistry is to keep an open mind, and work on mastering the fundamentals. Blanket memorization is not the most viable way to succeed in organic chemistry, because everything builds on top of the fundamental principles. Ultimately, application of the fundamentals will drive a student’s success rate, so it’s up to the teacher to ensure that the environment is conducive for all different types of learners to master the basics before they can manipulate organic compounds on their own. As an instructor, it’s my mission to ensure that my students are equipped with this fluency in order to make their future experiences in organic chemistry more enjoyable.
Kevin: Hanna, how has learning about and teaching STEM courses reshaped the way you think about the world? Why do you think STEM learning is so vital to student success?
Hanna: Reading was my first love as a student, and I’ve always appreciated how STEM courses can teach me the language of the living world. I particularly love the biological sciences, so STEM courses have taught me the story of the human body, how it works, and how we can change the stories of our patients’ bodies through the use of medications. I love books with a happy ending, and through pharmacy, I can create a happier outcome for the patients that I work with by listening to their stories and helping them with their medications.
STEM courses promote critical thinking, inspire innovation, and facilitate opportunities for students to use their creative energy to bring an idea to life. STEM courses are sometimes stereotyped as being rigid and math-based, but that’s not entirely the case. Advancements in STEM fields require immense creativity, collaboration among teams, and people who are willing to take chances on their ideas. I think that there is something for everyone within the field of STEM, so even students who might not think of themselves as STEM-oriented can gain a lot by taking STEM classes.
Kevin: We know that chemistry touches on so much of our daily lives, what are some lessons or labs you plan on offering to help students explore the applications of organic chemistry?
Hanna: As far as lessons, my goal is to help students gain a masterful understanding of some of the foundations of organic chemistry so that we can enjoy manipulating molecules through chemical reactions.
Given my background, I would love to include labs that apply the principles that we learn in the classroom to chemical reactions of pharmaceutically active molecules. Two molecules that can be created through synthesis reactions in a laboratory are aspirin and acetaminophen, which would be a perfect way to showcase how classroom learning can be applied in the real world.
Kevin: You've taught with CTD before. What was that experience like, and is there anything you are looking forward to when you work with our students again?
Hanna: I feel extremely fortunate to have spent as much time as I have working with CTD. The first course that I taught for CTD was an oncology course that I was recruited to teach after writing a letter of recommendation for a student of mine who wanted to try CTD for the first time. Since then, the staff at CTD have continuously supported me, and I feel that my skills as an instructor improve with every passing course. I love how CTD supports my creativity while also continuing to encourage me beyond my comfort zone. Between the staff and the students, CTD has been one of the most treasured teaching experiences that I’ve ever had.
The best part about teaching for CTD is working with the students who are always so curious and determined in the way that they approach learning. It’s an honor to be able to work with such eager learners, and I relish the challenge and opportunity to create a classroom environment that is conducive to the individual needs of each of my students.
Kevin: You work as a pharmacist; can you share with our students and families some of the discoveries or new technology that are transforming pharmaceuticals?
Hanna: There is a lot to be excited about within the field of pharmacology! In addition to the rapidly advancing technologies that are accelerating drug development and production, there are innovations happening with drug pricing and accessibility. The role of the pharmacist has been expanding for decades, and the pandemic served to demonstrate, once again, the value of the pharmacist within the community. The pandemic also saw a major disruption of the global supply chain, which has severely affected the access that drug manufacturers have to the raw ingredients needed to create medications, resulting in increased drug shortages.
Finally, there has been a legislative push towards transparency in drug spending, specifically from PBM’s (pharmacy benefit managers), who play a massive role in patient access to medications. All these endeavors speak to a unified interest in wider accessibility to medications and healthcare services in general, as well as fair and transparent drug pricing. This shifting landscape is particularly encouraging for pharmacists, who are interested in utilizing their skills to provide patient care to the fullest extent of their licenses. I would personally love to spend more time with patients in consultation discussing their chronic disease states, providing immunizations, even delivering rapid diagnostics, like strep or COVID tests. In reality, much of my time is spent trying to find ways to make medication affordable or trying to explain why we can’t get ADHD medications or diabetes medications in stock due to drug shortages. I’m looking forward to seeing how the evolving landscape of healthcare improves patient access to affordable medications and expands my ability to provide care to those in my community.
Kevin: As you prepared for your career in pharmacy, did anything surprise or delight you along the way in your studies?
Hanna: I thought I knew what I was signing up for by going to pharmacy school; however, I found that my perception of the field of pharmacy was extremely narrow. Pharmacists are everywhere! You can find them in hospitals, veterinary offices, law firms, government agencies, teaching in classrooms, practicing in outpatient settings like infusion centers, anticoagulation clinics, and retail pharmacies, working on research and development in large pharmaceutical companies, and so much more. The farther I progressed in school, the less I knew about what I wanted to do after graduation, because there are so many more opportunities than I could have imagined. I’ve always wanted to be a multi-faceted practitioner, so I feel very grateful that my career lends itself to being flexible, fulfilling, and eternally entertaining.
Kevin: Hanna, thank you so much for sharing your time and passion. Before we conclude, do you have any last pieces of advice for students who want to pursue a career in pharmacy or chemistry?
Hanna: For those interested in pursuing a career in chemistry or pharmacy, I am rooting for you! My best pieces of advice would be to pursue your passions, be patient with yourself and others, and try to enjoy the process. STEM fields are notoriously competitive, and the pressure to excel can feel overwhelming at times. Pursuing what you’re passionate about, rather than what you feel obligated to study, will help prevent you from burning out and will make your educational journey infinitely more enjoyable. Surround yourself with people who are supportive and encouraging and appreciate even the small achievements that you’ll make along the way. Every day is an opportunity to be your favorite version of yourself. Have fun and good luck!
To learn more about the Organic Chemistry course, please visit our academic summer camps page.