Join us for a 60-minute faculty panel during which panelists will share insights from the past ten years of teaching, their innovations in pedagogy, discuss their collaborations with the CTL, and look ahead to the next decade of teaching at Columbia.

David Helfand

Professor of Astronomy

David Helfand, PhD, Professor of Astronomy at Columbia, is a distinguished educator with a deep commitment to innovative teaching and pedagogy, with a particular passion for making science accessible to non-science majors. Over the course of his nearly five decades at Columbia, he served nearly half that time as Chair of the Department of Astronomy; he also played a pivotal role in the Core Curriculum by introducing Frontiers of Science which, since 2005, has engaged all first-year students with scientific inquiry. Dr. Helfand has mentored 22 PhD students, authored over 200 scientific papers, and published books such as A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age, reflecting his dedication to critical thinking and science literacy in public discourse. Beyond Columbia, he was instrumental in founding Quest University Canada, serving as its President and Vice-Chancellor and leading its pioneering approach to higher education. He currently chairs the American Institute of Physics and served as President of the American Astronomical Society.

Larry Jackson

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs,
Director of the Witten Center for the Core Curriculum,
Lecturer in Philosophy

Dr. Larry Jackson is Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Director of the Witten Center for the Core Curriculum, and a Lecturer in philosophy at Columbia University. He teaches Literature Humanities, Contemporary Civilization, and Music Humanities in Columbia’s Core Curriculum, and a course on justice for the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society and the Eric H. Holder Initiative for Civil and Political Rights. Prior to Columbia, Larry held positions at The New School for Social Research, New York University, and the City University of New York. His writing has appeared in several peer-reviewed academic journals and popular publications, and he lectures internationally on education and philosophy. Originally from the greater Philadelphia area, Larry was the first in his family to attend college. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy from The New School for Social Research, where he also received two master’s degrees (in Philosophy and Liberal Studies); he received his bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Skidmore College.

Monica Lypson

Vice Dean for Education at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons,
Rolf H. Scholdager Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Monica L. Lypson MD, MHPE is the Vice Dean for Education at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and serves as the Rolf H. Scholdager Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She previously served as a professor, and Vice-Chair of Medicine, Division Director of General Internal Medicine at The George Washington University School of Medical and Health Sciences and as Director of Medical and Dental Education for the Department of Veteran Affairs. She has been serving the generalist community as National Secretary and President of the Society of General Internal Medicine. She is also an associate editor for Academic Medicine. In these roles, Dr. Lypson provides leadership for a diverse group of faculty and learners involved in educational innovation, medical education research, and community outreach. Dr. Lypson graduated from Brown University and received her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She completed her graduate medical training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Internal Medicine – Primary Care, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and went on to complete a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars program at the University of Chicago and a master’s in Health Professions Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago.