Instructor Brings Unique Experience From the Lab Into the Classroom

Published January 21, 2021

Carolinas College is excited to welcome Saravanan Neelakantan, biology faculty for Health Sciences and General Studies, to the college. Saravanan received his bachelor’s and master's degrees in biology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and has experience in both industry and academia. During his time as an undergraduate and graduate student, he conducted research on the pathogens that affect patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) (more specifically, the effect of viral and bacterial co-infectivity in the mucus of CF patients). Saravanan has taught classes ranging from Microbiology to Anatomy and Physiology, and most recently, worked performing COVID-19 testing in a laboratory setting. He hopes to bring a unique perspective to the classroom environment and looks forward to meeting everyone. In his free time, Saravanan enjoys watching football (go Panthers!), basketball (go Hornets!), and streaming Netflix. 

What brought you to Carolinas College?

Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a unique institution that specializes in the education of future health professionals. With small class sizes, hands-on learning, potential employment after graduation, and many supportive pipelines, they ensure that each student is well prepared for future healthcare training. I want to be a part of the team responsible for producing our future healthcare personnel.

How’d you get into this line of work?

My background is mainly involved in biology, where I got my first opportunity to teach as a graduate student. After earning my master’s degree, I went on to work in the laboratory field as well as teaching at a college. My passion for teaching and healthcare began in graduate school and eventually drew me to Carolinas College.

How do you see yourself playing a part in developing the next generation of healthcare professionals?

My role allows me to teach the fundamentals of the human body to students through various methods. As the content expert, I help facilitate the production of our future healthcare workers. I have a duty to make sure these students are prepared for the next step in their healthcare journey.

What are you most looking forward to in your new role?

I look forward to explaining the importance of the anatomical and physiological structures, and functions, of the body to my students using case studies and dissections. Using hands-on and active learning activities, I can guide these future healthcare professionals to make the connection between the textbook and the real world.

What do you love about your work?

Since graduate school, I have sparked a desire for teaching. It allows me to exercise creativity in my teaching method, build relationships with students, and provide opportunities and guidance to students.

Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a public non-profit college. We rely on support from our community to provide an outstanding education for our students, so they can go out and make a difference in the world. To support the General Studies program or to give a general gift to the college, visit AtriumHealthFoundation.org/CCHS. Thank you for your support!