Photo: Cathy Elstad has been named teacher of the year in pharmacy eight times. (Photo by Kelly Peterson, WSU Today intern).
Twenty years ago, Cathy Elstad would have laughed if someone told her where she would be today.
“I would have said, ‘I have no business being in the College of Pharmacy,’ ” she said.
However, with her ability to adapt to new situations and teach herself, she opened doors she never thought she would.
Now working as a clinical associate professor in the College of Pharmacy and the associate dean of student services for that college, she is constantly tackling new challenges and learning additional skills.
Receiving her master’s degree in ecological science at University of Wisconsin at Lacrosse, Elstad ventured to Pullman in 1978 to earn a Ph.D. in zoology. After presenting a dissertation on population dynamics in aquatic pools, she hoped to find a job to use her degree. By 1983 she was unemployed, and it was then she developed her philosophy of having an open mind.
For a year, she volunteered in labs until she took on a two-year post doctorate opportunity in breast cancer research and then another post doctorate research project on melanoma.
“Whenever an opening came up, I raised my hand,” she said.
Even though her expertise was not cancer, she convinced the researchers that she was worth the risk. Having a general understanding from working in labs helped her realize how the sciences overlap.
“A tumor is like an ecosystem,” she said, explaining how she applied her knowledge of aquatic ecosystems to cancer research.
“Having a broad background gives you the ability to expand and grow in what you know a little about. Everything can be integrated and overlapped.”
When the opportunity to teach in the College of Pharmacy became available in 1988, she once again raised her hand. A little nervous about the idea of teaching pharmacy classes, Elstad hit the books.
“I had to learn it all by hard knocks,” she said. “I applied what I knew and learned the rest.”
It was just like being a student again, she said, except she was not memorizing. The real challenge, she said, was distilling the information to present it at a simple but challenging level.
“I can’t just spew out the information to them,” she said. “If I did, students would call me out on it.”
In her 18 years of teaching, Elstad has been named Teacher of the Year for the College of Pharmacy eight times, and she has been listed in “Who’s Who Among Teachers” four times.
Elstad said she still gets a little nervous before each lecture. She reviews her notes before each class and takes deep breaths on her way down the hall to the classroom. The nerves disappear when class starts.
“Once I’m in front of the class, I’m in my element … onstage and comfortable,” she said.
Part of her success in teaching has come because she demands mutual respect in her classroom and is upfront with her students.
“I’m a straight shooter. I don’t say things I don’t mean,” she said. “They hold me accountable too. It’s a two-way street.”
She lets her students know that even though she is not a pharmacist, she is well qualified and will give them everything they need to know. Initially, she said, there are some raised eyebrows and a few questions about her abilities.
“The proof is in the pudding though,” she said.
Student services
After lectures, Elstad spends the rest of her day focusing on her job as associate dean of student services, with much of her time spent in casual conversation with students. She helps them cope with academics and personal issues and acts as a liaison between students and their instructors.
When students come to her office and ask if they can talk with the door shut, she knows they are going through a hard time personally.
“My heart is breaking on the inside,” she said. “I hate to see them go through this. THe pharmacy program is hard enough.”
Personal life
Elstad is an early-to-bed, early-to-rise person. Up at 4:30 a.m., she makes time for exercise, breakfast and both of her 15 1/2-year-old diabetic cats-Chaser and Shadow.
Personal life is just as important as work life, Elstad said. Whether she is aqua jogging, doing yard work, hiking or canoeing, she tries to keep life simple.
“I don’t skydive or do much traveling. I’d rather backpack the panhandle of northern Idaho,” she said.
