GMS Faculty Spotlight: Aaron W. Young, PhD
Aaron W. Young, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. He is also the assistant director of the Graduate Medical Sciences Masters in Oral Health Sciences program. Dr. Young has played a significant role in curriculum design and course directorship across several programs within the medical school. A first-generation undergraduate, graduate, and PhD student, Dr. Young also enjoys mentoring students with similar backgrounds who are seeking entry into dental school. Read more about Dr. Young below!
Can you tell me about your journey to Boston University?
I’m a first-gen student, so, the first to complete an undergraduate degree, attend grad school, earn a PhD, and to work in academia. When I finished high school, the choice was really, do I stay more on the tech, hands-on agricultural aspect – because I had grown up on a family farm – or do I go the more science, medicine, and healthcare professions route, which I had done throughout high school in parallel. I ultimately decided for the latter because I really wanted to pursue the science aspect of things.
I started out wanting to go to dental school, which is very ironic now, given what I do. It was about two years down that pre-dental path that I realized what I really enjoyed, because of the exposure I got to the different physiology courses that I took, and a couple of the faculty in particular, was physiology and having a deep understanding of how the body works, and then sharing that in training, with healthcare professionals. So, I pivoted and ended up doing my dual honors in physiology and pharmacology/toxicology, going to grad school, and doing my PhD in the same.
It was my last year of grad school when BU, and at that time the Department of Physiology and Biophysics (now the Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics Department) was looking for a full-time faculty member to take on the responsibility of helping to manage and be a part of the educational endeavors that the department oversaw. On this campus, that involves physiology education for many of the healthcare professions programs, as well as some of the post-baccalaureate programs like the [Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MAMS)] program and the [Master of Science in Oral Health Sciences (OHS)] program. At that time, the Physician Assistant (PA) program had not yet opened, and was just beginning to be built. One of my first projects when I came here was to build the physiology content and course for that program.
So, I got recruited here in late 2012. I didn’t actually do a post-doc. I finished and defended my PhD thesis, and then, less than a year later, I was here as a full-time faculty member, and have been ever since.
What drew you to wanting to work here and ultimately deciding to come to Boston University?
I’d say it was two things. First was where the institution is located, and what the missions and the history of the medical school and the medical campus more broadly were. Dealing with the challenging issues of social justice, access to care, refugee health, and serving the underserved resonated a lot with me in terms of, this is the community within which we operate and to which the students that come here are driven to serve. That, for me, was important. I think it matters who you train and why you’re training them. So, that was number one.
Number two was that BU actually has full-time faculty educators. That doesn’t exist everywhere, and particularly not very much in Canada, where I did all my training. Most of it there is all short-term contract, adjunct work. [It is valuable] to have the opportunity to come to an institution, to have a full-time faculty position, and be invested long-term in the delivery of content, the design of curriculum, and implementation of new pedagogical approaches, over multiple years as opposed to just being the person that pops in for six months and then is gone. Having that longitudinal involvement and the opportunity to be involved at a higher level in terms of crafting and designing and building and rolling out curriculum and content is a big piece of what I enjoy doing, and now, what I get to do as well. Those two things together, the environment and the opportunities, frankly, were the big draws.
Why did you decide to start working closely with the Oral Health Science program?
I joined OHS as the assistant director in September 2022. It’s been over a year now, and really, I’ve known about the program for a long time and what it’s goals and missions were, which definitely align with my personal philosophies. I knew [Assistant Dean of Master’s Programs and OHS Program Director] Theresa Davies as well, and had worked with her and collaborated with her in other regards. When the opportunity presented itself, it seemed like a good opportunity to get involved with a program that really focused on those key aspects that were important to me, and with a smaller cohort of students as well. That allows you to make a deeper connection, to have more meaningful mentorship opportunities with that population of students, and in more tangible ways feel like you’re making a useful difference in helping individuals who really are going to make a difference in the field, and who have a lot to offer, but maybe on paper get overlooked. We help them to bridge that gap because the skills they have matter and the experiences that they have had matter, and otherwise it gets swept under the rug and forgotten.
How do you incorporate student mentorship into your work? Why is it important to you?
As part of the program, every student that comes into OHS is matched with a faculty mentor/advisor. I have about a dozen or so students who are mentees, so that’s a part of daily life. I think it’s important, because the assumption is always well, of course, if you’re coming to university, if you’re coming to a master’s program, of course you know what that entails and how to make it all work, and how to organize your life and make it all happen. And oh!, by the way, actually do well in the courses you’re taking at the same time.
Well, that’s simply not true. Frankly, it just isn’t. Because of the unique population of students that we bring into the program as well, there are individuals who maybe academically don’t look as competitive on paper, but it’s because of their lived experience during their undergrad. They’re working, maybe full time supporting an ill parent, or something of that nature where they’ve actually had to figure out how to balance the challenges of real life and supporting themselves while, simultaneously, trying to be successful academically. Mentorship helps them grow that skill set and see that they can get there, and that that’s actually a useful skill.
I think the other part of mentorship, too, is, in terms of prepping them to be successful in their application and matriculation to dental school. There’s an interview, personal statements, essays, all that kind of thing. That’s also the very close mentorship we provide, too, is meeting with students, really getting to know them, and helping them express their best self in those different modalities as well. Because I don’t know about you, but one of the most difficult things to do is talk about yourself in a meaningful, tangible way that makes the other person think you actually know what’s going on. That’s not easy to do. It’s not something you just sort of have in your back pocket without careful practice. Those are the types of things, like mock interviewing and that sort of stuff, that we do as well, that are very tangible and meaningful, and ultimately successful. It helps them get their best self out there, and then by extension, dramatically increases their likelihood of getting interviews and ultimately matriculating. That’s our goal, and not just for the sake of doing it, but because we believe in them. We believe what they have is unique, and that they matter, and what they can bring to the table matters.
What is the value of doing a post-baccalaureate degree program like OHS or MAMS?
The population that we’re really attempting to serve is individuals who have the drive, have the passion, and have the ability, but, in terms of those very black and white on paper, academic numbers, aren’t being selected or aren’t competitive in their application. And there’s reasons for that. Individuals who have had different struggles or challenges, or simultaneously worked or supported ill loved ones, etc., or who have had traumatic events happen in their own life during their undergrad experience. That population of individuals is lost to all of those different healthcare profession fields without these types of programs that can help cultivate, build that skill set, and give these individuals an opportunity to really show that they can do the work, despite what on paper might look like a lackluster, undergrad experience.
It really helps them, as individuals, see themselves as valuable as well, because it’s easy to then go, “Well, you know, it’s just me.” We help them overcome that, too, and say, “Yeah, you know, it’s not an excuse, but it’s an explanation. But look, here I am, committed to this program. I’ve done the work. I can do it, and I can do it well. And look at the skill set that I have now.” I think that’s important, because otherwise, we lose such a huge population of individuals who have so much to give, but for any number of reasons just haven’t been able to have that super, flawless, stellar sort of application package on their first pass, or haven’t had the opportunity to get shadowing or volunteer hours, because instead, they were working to financially support themselves or others in their family or circle.
That’s kind of the niche where our OHS program fits in. It fits in exceptionally well, we’re doing a really good job, and we’re proud of that. The dental schools that our students go to see that and see the value of taking our students as well, because they know they’re getting individuals who have a rich lived experience, who are mature, and who have proven themselves and have the skill set and a high likelihood of succeeding and being quality members of that dental community in the future.
What do you think makes the OHS program so special? What are some of your graduate outcomes?
There are a few things. The mentoring and enrichment events and things that we do as part of the program. Giving students the opportunity to meet with upper-year dental students, the DentMent pairing program, and mentorship that they get in that regard as well. The opportunity to speak with faculty and individuals from admissions from the dental school and hear from individuals in the field and former graduates who then completed dental school and are practicing dentists now. That’s a big value, because they can hear the stories, and where the challenges are and hear those lived experiences and identify and see how they themselves can figure out the effective path forward. That it is real, and it is doable, and that it can happen.
I think the other big strength of our program which sets us apart from many other post-bacc programs on the dental school track is that our students can take dental school courses. That is big. That is exceptionally huge when you can apply having successfully completed the program and say, “Look, I’ve taken a slate of the most challenging actual dental school classes at a top-tier dental school with dental students and done well. I can do this.” That is a really big, positive thing in your corner, saying, “Look, I’m a good candidate.”
I’d say those are kind of some of the big things that really set our students apart. Then, there’s the outcome we always like to cite, that we have an over 90% success rate of our graduates matriculating to dental school. I personally believe that’s why, if you come to our program and you put in the time and the effort and the work, and you succeed academically in the program, it’s a rather unassailable position to be in. You’ve done well. You’ve done well in the courses that are absolutely relevant. You’ve had the background. You’ve had the mentorship. You’ve had exposure to the field and know what you’re getting into, and you can speak to that as well. And you’ve developed those skills of communicating well, doing well in the interview setting, and doing well in that narrative writing form. Those are the big things.
What advice would you give to someone who’s considering a post-bacc?
Well, I think it’s like anything. If you’re going to do something, I think you really want to have a clear idea of why, right? That deep personal understanding of who you are as an individual and why it is you want to do what it is you want to do is key.
Everybody who applies to our program wants to be a dentist. We know that. But why? How? How is this program going to help you get there in meaningful, tangible ways? Because that shows the insight that we’re looking for. It means you’ve realized where the challenges are. You own that you understand that, and you’re committed to working to improve those things. That’s an important piece, and that sort of holistic review is seeing that and knowing that because the types of students that we want are those that are motivated. Want to be a dentist? Sure. But having an awareness and a background and a story that they own and is who they are, that they can see where they want go and how they’re going to get there in a meaningful way, and see the path and how that’s going to happen for them. That’s what we’re looking for!
What is your favorite part about being a faculty member here?
I would say broadly, it’s the people that I get to work with, and I don’t just mean faculty and staff, I mean the students as well. I think it’s the environment and the people that I get to interact with on a daily basis. I get to wake up and come in to work at a campus in an environment where there are people who are driven to be at their best, ask difficult questions and push the field and the area and the expertise and the knowledge forward, not just for themselves or for personal gratification, but ultimately, for the health and wellness of the population as a whole. That, for me, is personally really rewarding and is motivating as well. Because I could be having a hard day, but you think about the larger sort of goals and motivations of this place as an institution, as a school, as a program. That’s a powerful driver to always give your best.
It’s really about the people. Everybody here that you know creates an environment that, for me at least, is just super fun to work with, to always be able to interact with a new class of students every year that comes in that’s motivated, excited, and determined to be successful and to make a difference. That drives you personally to always be at your best as well.
Can you tell me about your various roles within the Medical School and GMS?
Kind of a lot! When I started here, the medical school curriculum was all siloed courses. You took medical physiology, medical anatomy, medical neuroscience, and so on. And so, early on, I took over the course directorship and leadership for the medical physiology and medical endocrinology courses. Then, the curriculum at the medical school underwent its first part of the larger pedagogical changes that it’s been going through over the years. We took the first year, and instead of having the siloed courses, integrated the first year, which was, prior to that, very traditional, all normal structure and function and very didactic, and integrated all the different disciplines there. I played a large role in transitioning all the physiology and endocrinology and neurophysiology content into that.
At the grad school level, I built the PA physiology course from scratch that our PA students would take before then joining our second-year medical school students in the curriculum at the medical school. That has now, as of this year, changed, where that PA Physiology course is sunset and no longer runs. Now, our PA students join the new PISCEs curriculum right from day one. So, the need for that physio class has gone away.
In terms of the MAMS program, Physio A and Physio B are the core physio courses for those master’s students. I have played a role in teaching in both of those courses. I serve as a thesis reader for those students, too, which has been fun. At the dental school, I teach in the dental physiology course for D1 dental students. For the OHS program, I had always known those students because they take this same dental physiology course alongside our D1s. I knew them and had an awareness of the program for quite a long time before I became the assistant director of the program.
For the OHS program, a lot of what I do now is course and program management, curriculum design, and those types of things. I created and run Applied Physiology for our OHS students, which runs parallel to the Dental Physiology course. It gives students a chance to work in teams on cases and problem sets to learn how to practically apply the physiology. I also serve as a mentor/advisor to our OHS students.
Outside of that, some peripheral things that this job has allowed me to do is serve on the Provost’s Advisory Committee for Disability Access, to represent individuals who are neurodiverse. That’s something that I would have never thought would be part of what I get to do.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Part of what I enjoy about the OHS program is the focus on helping those individuals get into dental school who have had sort of a nontraditional or a more challenging path. My personal journey was a similar situation, being a first-gen student. At the time, awareness of these types of programs wasn’t on my radar, and it didn’t get the same sort of attention and focus and resources allocated as it does now. I would say, that’s probably a big piece for me, to being able to be involved with a program that helps and serves those who are on a not dissimilar path to my own is meaningful. I feel like I can, from the mentorship standpoint, share some of that. If there’s anything I can do to help people overcome, or not make some of the same mistakes that I did, then, of course, I mean, that’s something that I want to share.
Maybe it’s a little bit personally propping myself up. But I think it’s important to have those types of individuals in the field because it can make a difference. I mean, I feel like I get to do something, and in a meaningful way, and I’m valued, and that wouldn’t have happened for me if I didn’t sort of persist through what were some pretty difficult barriers. So, to support and be involved in a program that helps reduce those barriers more effectively, that’s deeply meaningful to me.