Improving Community Health

Pride of PNW: John Durocher

John Durocher, Nils K. Nelson Endowed Professor of Integrative Human Health in the Department of Biological Sciences, is committed to providing his students with an enriching and engaging learning experience.

Durocher, the coordinator of the Integrative Human Health B.S. degree and founding director of the PNW Integrative Physiology and Health Sciences (IPHS) Center, makes a conscious effort to engage his students by providing real-world information and experiential learning opportunities inside the classroom.

Students gain hands-on experience using sophisticated equipment and a variety of techniques in many of his classes. In the Orientation to Sports Health course, students are introduced to laboratory techniques used to recover from injury and to restore performance, while in the Cardiovascular and Sleep Technology course, students are able to use the advanced equipment in the IPHS Center.

A first-generation college graduate, Durocher is part of a PNW microteaching grant focused on improving the educational experience of first-generation college students. He was a non-traditional college student who held several part-time jobs while pursuing his advanced degrees and believes this experience helps him connect and better understand his students.

Durocher is an avid researcher in the areas of biological sciences, health sciences and integrative human health, focusing on exercise and other lifestyle interventions that can improve human health and performance. In addition to being the founding director of IPHS, he is a member of the PNW Faculty Research Board, works with the Advisory Board for the Center for Physiology Education (CPE) of the American Physiological Society and is an American Kinesiology Association Leadership Institute Fellow.

My goal is to be supportive of students, encourage them to keep working at their goals, and provide as many resources as possible between what we are learning in class and real-world applications.

John Durocher, Nils K. Nelson Endowed Professor of Integrative Human Health

How do you inspire your students at PNW?

I always try to be down to earth. My goal is to be supportive of students, encourage them to keep working at their goals and provide as many resources as possible between what we are learning in class and real-world applications.

I also provide as many success stories as possible about previous students, often connecting current students to previous students when they are looking into specific professions or professional programs.

Life often throws us challenges, and I want to help students stay the course until they reach their ultimate goals.

What mentor inspired you in your career?

I want to first thank my wife because she was the one who encouraged me to go back to school at the age of 27. Since that time, I have had several incredible mentors.

My undergraduate mentor, Dr. Ronald Gratz got me interested in anatomy and physiology and was an outstanding teacher with a great sense of humor.

My master’s degree mentor, Dr. Phillip Watts, was a wealth of knowledge for anything exercise related and he always challenged me to keep asking questions and to apply what I learn out in the field. He taught me most of what I know about exercise physiology.

Finally, my doctorate advisor, Dr. Jason Carter, provided immersive experience in research and grant writing. I still collaborate with him to this day, and he is certainly one of the most motivated individuals I have ever met.

The Pride of PNW series highlights Purdue Northwest researchers, scientists and practitioners from around the world who are driving change in their fields.