My teaching style combines education with fun and humor, creating an engaging and enjoyable learning experience for students.
I am passionate about teaching healthcare professionals and have primarily taught dental residents, dental students (DMD, DDS), and public health students (PhD, DrPH, MPH, MHA). I have also taught medical students (MD) and dental hygiene students (BS).
Selected students' comments and feedback:
"Best professor ever!"
"I like printed-out notes, and games were so fun."
"Thank you for making studio so much fun and giving us great advice and help this semester. We will all miss you and your humor."
"Great class! Loved having teachers that care!"
"Fun and energetic teacher. Easy to listen to lectures."
"Great class! We really enjoyed it. Wish more courses were more like this one! Thanks!"
"Thank you for your time and efforts this semester! I will miss your humor and am looking forward to classes with you in the future!"
"You created a fun and engaging environment for us all and I cannot wait to learn more from you next semester."
"Really enjoyed the class. Thanks for testing us on stuff we needed to know and not trivial material. It was refreshing have a professor that doesn't feel the need to prove they are the smartest person in the room. Looking forward to working with you in clinic."
"Thank you so much for the amazing time. Will definitely miss all the fun we had, the games, the stories, the insights! We were all very lucky to have you."
"This is one of the most engaging classes not so much about the material but the way Dr. Alexander made the material interesting and engaging was so impressive. It made me excited to go to class. We would learn and then have an exercise or game to use what we learned which reinforces the material."
"I thought the course material was interesting."
"I'll just say whatever they are paying Dr. Alexander it isn't enough. His amount of preparation and research into each lecture is unreal."
"Dr. A did a phenomenal job at directing this course. He is extremely fair and extremely helpful while challenging us. The course material was very clear about what we needed to know and what we needed to study and the test reflected this. Dr. A is fair! Not every teacher is fair."
"This was a fun class to do some hands-on ortho exercises! I enjoyed it"
"This was my favorite class this semester. I enjoyed the learning technique. The use of polls and games to reinforce learning was very useful and made the class enjoyable."
"The course was very organized and went through important concepts that will be applicable to the clinic setting. Dr. A did a great job of starting with the basics and working the way up towards more complicated cases"
"Everything was very organized and fun. I learned a lot. Loved the class!"
"Dr. Alexander encouraged students to give him active feedback so that he could make any necessary adjustments to the course. He was incredibly accommodating and I was thrilled to have him as a professor."
"Thank you so much for being an amazing and helpful studio lead! I appreciate you trying to make the class more fun by having us compete for prizes."
"This was the first class where I felt comfortable sharing!"
"Excellent!!!! As a type A person, I found this course flowed smoothly and I never questioned what was expected of me. I hope Dr. Alexander teaches more courses as I found this course engaging."'
"Very helpful in learning about what makes a good leader."
"Super organized and easy to follow the syllabus and schedule."
"Studio was such a relaxed learning environment, thank you!"
"Thank you so much for making a class that I am excited to show up to. You truly made the class one of the best I've ever had this semester. Have a fantastic break."
"Everything was great! You rock, don't ever change!"
"Loved all the cases, wish more classes did this b/k its more realistic than the "ideal" so I feel like I am more prepared."
"Continue on doing your thing Dr. A. You are the man!"
"He is an excellent teacher and I always learn a great deal from his courses."
"Dr. Alexander fostered an environment where students were not only encouraged to speak up, but actively wanted to. This allowed for an array of ideas to be shared from different perspectives."
"It seems to come natural to him."
"Dr. Alexander is a fantastic professor. He always made the courses and the literature enjoyable and simple to comprehend. He assisted me in clarifying all of my questions through self-reflection, which allowed me to better grasp my professional interests. I look forward to attending more of his lessons and am appreciative of his efforts in keeping the class positive."
"Dr. Alexander greatly influenced my own personal level of enjoyment for this course. While many of the topics discussed were not particularly glamorous, Dr. Alexander made the course interesting and enjoyable."
"I felt Dr. Alexander truly wanted us to succeed. Even though this class was a requirement, I really enjoyed the material."
"Throughout the semester, Dr. Alexander provided many additional resources that allowed students to further their own learning beyond was given to us in lecture."
"Dr. Alexander provided clear instructions and very clear deadlines. He is a wonderful professor and I learned a lot in this course. I enjoyed how we were able to learn the material at our own pace while also being able to follow along easily."
"I love all the topics we went through in this semester."
"I think the organization is perfect."
"Your course was a banana!"
"I thoroughly enjoyed this course."
"Very well set up course 4 engagement with the class and learning material at this level."
"Dr. A did everything he could to accommodate to our changing times. He was happy to answer questions, to teach, and to help improve our learning. I liked how organized this course was."
"Loved all the projects we had to complete. I felt that there were very beneficial in learning the basics of Ortho."
"Dr. Alexander provided meaningful feedback for students to help them better understand course materials and complex ideas."
"The structure of this course remained very steady throughout the semester. Weekly classes had a very similar structure and assignment due dates were clearly laid out in the syllabus and rarely deviated."
"Many topics discussed in class related to issues of morality which gave students the opportunity to engage in meaningful class discussions and share individual opinions."
"The course was delivered in a manner that allowed students to learn from case study's and class activities to fully understand concepts taught in the lecture."
"Dr. Alexander set forth clear expectations for his students. Plenty of instruction was always given so students had the best chance of success in his course."
"Engagement was highly encouraged by Dr. Alexander. He created an environment where students felt comfortable to speak up and share their own thoughts and opinions, even on difficult topics."
"I enjoyed the course. Loved being able to go through clinical cases with Dr. A as a class. I wish we did that more in other classes because it helps us to learn and remember better."
"Great class, one of the best!"
"I loved how interactive this course was. I felt the concepts we learned in ortho I could be applied in this course."
"I interacted more in your class than I did in any of my other classes."
"He always makes us think outside the box. He encourages our beliefs while also probing as a way to guide us to a more developed outlook."
"Simply outstanding."
"Dr. Alexander created an excellent learning environment in which students felt comfortable sharing ideas and expressing concern."
"His mood and encouragement was always something to look forward to and I felt like I could approach him with any information and he would try to be helpful or ask us to discuss as a class."
"Dr. Alexander was always approachable and encouraged students to work together as a class to critically think and problem solve. He never let students feel unheard."
"Always encourages us to keep learning and poking for more."
"While he would not let us fail, Dr. Alexander would allow us to work together in groups to come up with our own solution before giving us his own aid."
"Class was great. The cases we did in the class were very helpful."
"I look forward to going to class because Dr. Alexander always greets us with the best attitude and always brings a positive perspective to the class."
"Always welcomed ideas, regardless of how wrong we were."
"Both ortho courses were GREAT! Thanks for all you do to teach us! It wouldn't be the same without you."
"Dr. Alexander provided a plethora of resources for our review, which I found very generous."
"Dr. Alexander allowed students to share their own thoughts and ideas freely creating an environment where students wanted to learn and engage with each other and the professor."
"Thank you for being an excellent instructor and making us all feel comfortable enough to share our thoughts."
"Everything in this course was great and well organized. Nothing bad to say."
"I enjoyed learning hands on lab work in orthodontics. It was very interesting to learn different techniques orthodontics use in their practice. Dr. A was very good about helping students one on one with lab techniques such as bending wires and creating the Holly appliance that will be beneficial later on in clinic
and our dental practice."
"Great class! Very well organized and to the point! Enjoyed the lectures with all the very easy to understand videos."
"I really enjoyed having you as a professor and appreciated the insight you provided us on assignments and public health concepts. I am looking forward to learning more from you next semester and am glad you are here at TAMU."
"Dr. A has a great teaching style. Lots of helpful videos and plenty of case reviews."
"This class and the instructor is/are amazing. I have NO criticism for either. They ran like a well oiled machine, I will be referring all ortho but at least now I have a clue as what is going on. I wish you the best with everything you do. Thanks for the memories."
"I thoroughly enjoyed using the cases to learn the material."
"Thank you for such a great semester. I enjoyed studio very much, our class story times will definitely be missed."
"Courseload seems a little bit heavy. But I love all the activities and assignments."
"Everything was great! Don't change a thing!"
"Best class at the school."
"Orthodontics I was one of the most organized, enjoyable classes of dental school. Classes were always case based, which is awesome, thanks for making such a great class!"
"I learned a great deal and Dr. A was great at teaching the material."
"Great course! You are an awesome teacher and I enjoyed working with you!"
"Loved the class! Excellent set-up and we learned a lot."
"I really enjoyed the class. Doing cases helped to reinforce the information and was enjoyable. All the topics we needed to know for tests were thoroughly covered."
"Enjoyable class. Loved the lab, minus the wire bending. Very laid back. Plenty of time to finish projects. Very clear and organized projects."
"You are the bomb!"
"Great class! Thank you for all of your help and guidance with our projects!"
"I thoroughly enjoyed the class. Thanks for the feedback and the effort for quality content."
"Would take again!"
"I love Dr. A!! He is the best! And I really enjoyed ortho!"
"Such a good class and very organized!"
"Ortho II was one of my favorite classes so far. I enjoyed doing the projects and applying what we learned from Ortho I. Both classes were very organized and greatly run!"
"I enjoyed this class! It was a laid back but also I learned a lot."
"Awesome! Appreciate the help in bending wire!"
"Orthodontics 1 was a great course. Thank you for being so approachable and practical during your course. You make it easy to learn what is actually needed."
"I have thoroughly enjoyed your lectures. Thank you very much for all the memorable presentations."
"This class was very organized. I liked having different speakers and it was very interesting. Thanks and I look forward to part II."
"Enjoyed the class I didn't have any ortho experience prior to the class so I thought it was a good starter class, I would like to see examples of the different appliances and retainers. ps. your Porsche is badass!"
"Thought it was a great class. It was one of those classes that the professor told us exactly what we needed to know so we learned it. It wasn't like some classes where we have 100s of powerpoints to know."
"This course has the potential to be boring but you made it more interesting. Thanks!"
"Really enjoyed the class. Thought the layout was great."
"Great job! Enjoyed it."
"Great course and great teacher! Thank you!"
"He seems to genuinely enjoy teaching."
"Extremely organized."
"Great classI Loved the lab and the teacher."
"It has been an honor to learn from you."
"The different certifications I received in this class have made my resume and LinkedIn profile better!"
"Professor Alexander was super responsive and supportive of my learning. I thoroughly enjoyed his class and its pace."
"Dr. Alexander is wonderful! It's obvious he cares about his students. He always was a very intentional listener and lecturer."
"Dr. Alexander was extremely organized, which impacted my learning greatly. Awesome course."
"He does a great job even when the class is very quiet and does not want to participate."
"I enjoy the flipped classroom method because sometimes the traditional classroom becomes a little repetitive and boring, but this method provides a stress free environment and students to learn at their own pace."
"Very postive and encouraging."
"The discussions and activities led by Dr. Alexander were fun and very informative. The situations given for us to discuss trained problem solving."
"Highly recommended."
"The feedback was very positive and direct. I appreciated the specificity of comments."
"Top notch."
"Dr. Alexander was extremely responsive to emails with a quick turnaround. Very supportive and provided clear instructions and feedback. Always punctual."
"I really would have enjoyed learning more about Dr. Alexander's personal experiences, related to healthcare management, from his vast career experience."
"I thoroughly enjoyed this course and the expanse of healthcare management topics covered, it was perfect to wrap up the first semester of my program."
I taught the following classes/courses:
Texas A&M University (2022–present):
Course director, Project Management in Health Systems
Course director, Management Strategies and Principles for Public Health
Course director, Advanced Public Health Practice and Capacity Building
Course director, Organizational Theory
Course director and designer, Health Systems Management
Course director and designer, Health policy and management
Course Instructor (Studio Lead), Thinking in Populations: The Public Health Mindset
Course Instructor (Studio Lead), Investigation and Control: Acute Public Health Events
Course Instructor (Studio Lead), Assessment and Intervention: Wicked Problems in Public Health
Course Instructor (Studio Lead), Framing and Persuasion: Public Health in the Public Sphere
University of Mississippi Medical Center (2012–2022):
Course director, Orthodontics I
Course director, Orthodontics II
Course director, Advanced Clinical Orthodontics
Course director, Clinical Orthodontics
Course instructor, Esthetics
Course instructor, Periodontal Disease III-Surgery
Course instructor, Aging
University of Mississippi Medical Center (2016–2022):
Course instructor, Advanced Clinical Dentistry
Course instructor, Evidence-Based Practice in Dentistry
Course instructor, Microscopic and Developmental Anatomy
Course instructor, Histology
Director, Orthodontic education and preparation for the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, Graduate Program in Pediatric Dentistry
University of Mississippi Medical Center (2010–2022):
Course instructor, Methods I-Oral Diagnosis
Course instructor, Methods II-Oral Radiology Clinic
Course instructor, Oral Lesions I-Introductory Oral Pathology
Course instructor, Oral Lesions II-Oral Pathology Seminar
Course instructor, Senior Comprehensive Competency
Course director, Advanced Topics in Dentistry (For residents in Advanced General Dentistry and General Practice Residency)
University of Mississippi Medical Center (2013–2015):
Course director, Radiology I
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (2005–2008):
Course instructor, Panoramic Radiology (Graduate Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology)
Course instructor, Dental Radiology Educators Continuing Education Program
Trainer, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Technicians, Department of Dental Diagnostic Science
Teaching assistant, first and second-year dental students