Meet Dr. Damon Perez
Degrees and Experience
- Ph.D., Environmental Health - Toxicology (Colorado State University)
- B.A., Biology, Chemistry minor (University of Colorado - Colorado Springs)
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Mayo Clinic Cancer Genetic and Epidemiology Program
Biography and Professional Achievements
Dr. Damon S. Perez is an Assistant Professor of Biology in CCU's College of Adult Graduate Studies. He oversees all biology courses in the Division of Nursing and Heath Sciences and teaches both Microbiology and Human Genetics & Genomics online to predominantly prospective nursing students. Past employers include Applied Biosystems and Life Technologies (biotechnology companies) and Mayo Clinic where Perez has accumulated over ten years of research experience in molecular toxicology, advanced genomics, and cancer research fields. Perez also has both online and in-seat teaching experience at a variety of colleges and universities.
Creating accelerated online biology courses that will prepare students to succeed in any healthcare related field is a challenging feat since the material can be both extensive and complex. In order to effectively educate our students we have created an online curriculum that is engaging, thought-provoking, and applicable to real-world situations. Assignments are created to help improve student understanding and retention of course material. Many of our biology assignments are constructed in such a way where a student can imagine themselves in a specific real-life situation in the clinic, medical or research lab, etc.
The incorporation of actual clinical and laboratory situations within the online teaching platform will aid to simulate creative thinking which is intended to draw students into the realm of the learning experience. The goal is to present a situation where students are instructed to examine the evidence and apply their problem solving skills to postulate a resolution. By implementing this chain of thought in our online learning activities students are more engaged in the material, forced to think critically to solve problems, and are placed in a position where they can confront a real-life situation.
Integrating Perez's research background with the online curriculum was key when developing assignments that will cultivate students in the exploration of scientific theory, research, and proper laboratory practice.