Teacher-Scholar Legacies: Pat Lord

By Erik Johnson, Professor and Chair of Biology

Dr. Pat Lord, Teaching Professor of Biology, has been one of the most versatile educators in the Biology Department, teaching a wide range of courses during her 25-year career at Wake Forest. These courses have included non-major introductory classes, core courses such as genetics, and upper-level electives in virology and immunology — and all of these courses were popular because of Pat.  

Pat’s enthusiasm for each of these courses was contagious. I can’t count the times that she would stop in the hall and say, “I just read this new paper on this (fill in the blank) virus and was going to have students talk about it in class, and isn’t this so cool?” 

In all of these different courses, Pat focused on student-centered teaching and incorporated novel experiential learning opportunities into her courses. One example of this was a project in which students developed and presented an exposition on viruses — a pedagogical exercise that demanded student engagement with the scientific content, communication of that to the public, and fostered a collaborative spirit among her students.  

In addition to her teaching, Pat has been a consummate departmental and institutional citizen, providing critical service and thoughtfulness in a host of different areas.  For many years, Pat was committed to mentoring students as they navigated the challenges of preparing for professional and/or medical school.  Pat was the Health Professions advisor for many years, and additionally served on the Faculty Senate and was a strong advocate for teaching professionals within the department and across the College.   

Pat has forged many long-lasting relationships with students and colleagues, which is a testament to her collegiality. As my office is next to hers, I’ve witnessed many former students and advisees coming back to Wake to drop in to see Pat. Likewise, if you walk across campus with her, be prepared to stop several times as “everybody knows Pat,” including faculty, students, staff, and administrators alike.