Mario Tomei
Assistant Teaching Professor
Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Science Building 121
516.877.3862
mtomei@adelphi.edu
Faculty Profiles
Diplomas/Degrees
Diplomas/Degrees
Masters in Health Administration, St Josephs University (2018)
MBA in Finance and Pharmaceutical Marketing, St Josephs University (2017)
Medical Degree 5th pathway, New York Medical College (2001)
Professional Experience
Professional Experience
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Teaching Philosophy:
I am very passionate about teaching and academia and believe that students require a multi-faceted pedagogical approach which creates an environment to challenge students’ intellect and inquisitiveness and keeps them actively engaged in the learning process. My approach to instruction is very hands-on and incorporates clinical case studies and visual models, as well as research to foster the depth and breadth of students’ intellectual ideas, philosophies, and exchanges among one another, which I believe is integral to learning. Additionally, differentiation of instruction and opportunities for application of concepts taught is essential in order to reach students of various academic levels and learning styles and insure their understanding of the material.
Example:
Pathophysiology is a very important course for medical students given it is the first course where students are required to utilize, integrate, and apply all of the knowledge they have acquired from prior medical science courses to gain an understanding of the disease state of the body. The following is one concrete example which illustrates my pedagogical approach to implementing aspects of my philosophy into practice in my Pathophysiology course at Adelphi University.
In this case, the organ I will focus on is the heart. During the initial phase of teaching pathophysiology, it is essential that students are instructed on and understand the normal functions of the heart, both from a pathological and a physiological standpoint to insure that they possess a strong foundation in this area. Thus, students need to have a solid understanding of the human body when it is at homeostasis, when it is at its relaxed optimal state. Once I have assessed that students have acquired this knowledge, we would proceed to discuss the abnormalities that occur in pathology and physiology. My approach is very hands-on, interactive, and multi-modal in nature, thus incorporates the use of specific clinical cases which provide students with case histories, fostering their inferential thinking and allowing them to hypothesize potential diagnosis based on the information. In addition, visual models and supplements, such as radiological exams, including CAT scans and MRIs are presented when relevant and deemed necessary.
More specifically, the following is how I would approach instructing medical students in a congestive heart failure case. During the initial phase, we review the various components of congestive heart failure. Next, I would present a clinical case and break it down by the case history. Initially, provide a basic case history and subsequently ask the students to contemplate potential disease states. Subsequently, we move further into the pathology of the disease and include additional diagnostic indicators for the student to assist them in assessing the patient. In my experience, this approach fosters a highly interactive learning environment, with opportunities for question and answers, discussions, and is multimodal on many levels, including visual aids (i.e., slides, videos), and verbal (i.e., case history) material. This allows the students the opportunity to diagnose the case example of the patient, which has proven effective in peaking their interest. Thus, by diagnosing the case, they are required to utilize, integrate and apply their knowledge of physiology and pathology.
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