Behind every statistic in health economics is a person making a choice. In this episode, Dr. Melanie Cozad, economist, health policy instructor, and GRL author, traces her unlikely path from the Naval Academy and the Marine Corps into health economics and public health. She unpacks how she teaches the Affordable Care Act without bringing politics into the classroom, why "opportunity cost" is the concept she wishes every policymaker truly understood, and how her research on patient-provider communication led her to help design a health-tracking app. We also get into where AI fits (and doesn't) in closing the communication gap between patients and clinicians. It all comes back to the same idea: the data is never just data.

Learn more about Cozad's publication, Health Economics: Applications to Policy & Practice at https://grl.pub/HealthEconomics

In this episode of Can I Get a Retake?, English professor Chantelle MacPhee traces an unlikely path — from leaving high school without a diploma to teaching Shakespeare and Romantic poetry across four countries. MacPhee shares how immersing herself in Spanish while teaching in Puerto Rico reshaped her approach to diverse learners, why reading aloud builds student confidence, and what draws her to the surprising connections between Shakespeare and the Romantics. She also offers a candid take on AI in the writing classroom: a useful tool for navigating information overload, but no substitute for the authentic, flawed, human voice that makes writing worth reading. A conversation about empathy, authenticity, and why teaching remains, above all, an art form.

Learn more about MacPhee's publication, Effective Communication: Bursting the Bubble - https://grl.pub/communication

Can I Get a Retake? welcomes a variety of perspectives. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Great River Learning.

Elizabeth Griffith didn't set out to love chemistry, but maybe that's what makes her such a compelling teacher of it. In this episode, the author of General Chemistry for Engineers talks about what it takes to reach students who would rather be anywhere else than in a chemistry class, why framing a course around applications (not content) changes everything, and what led her to write the textbook the market was missing. She also shares a candid take on AI in intro courses, the student habit that's giving faculty a false sense of security, and what a question about electrons led her to ponder for years. If you've ever taught a course to students who didn't choose to be there, this one's for you. More about Dr. Griffith's Gen Chem for Engineers textbook: https://grl.pub/ChemforEngineers

Dr. Tracey Ward has spent her career at the intersection of pharmaceutical research and education, holding patents in Alzheimer's treatments while teaching future pharmacists how drugs work at a molecular level. In this episode, she walks us through the surprisingly long and expensive journey from drug discovery to pharmacy shelf, explains why the gut microbiome matters more than most people realize, and makes the case that cellular health should be the starting point for any treatment conversation.

Learn about her publication: https://grl.pub/Ward

Can I Get a Retake? welcomes a variety of perspectives. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Great River Learning.

Kaustavi Sarkar has spent decades doing something rare: turning passion into profession. As an associate professor, author, and practitioner of Odissi (a centuries-old Indian classical dance form), she's built a career at the intersection of tradition and innovation. In this episode, Kaustavi shares how she navigates the tension between honoring an ancient art form and pushing it into new spaces, from the US classroom to conferences spanning pre-K students to PhD scholars. She also opens up about what it really means to serve your field, and why gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's a framework. Check out Kaustavi's publications: https://grl.pub/dance

Can I Get a Retake? welcomes a variety of perspectives. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Great River Learning.

What does a Wall Street veteran who helped build trading floors for Salomon Brothers have to teach college students about money? Everything they weren't taught but desperately need to know. Elven Riley, professor of finance at Seton Hall University's Stillman School of Business and author of Unavoidable Money Decisions, spent decades in tech and finance before landing in academia with a mission: close the gap between what universities teach and what graduates actually face. His course, drawing students from more than 50 majors, was born from a sobering moment when a former student, now managing other people's wealth, nearly went bankrupt mismanaging his own. Riley's response was "driver's ed with money", practical, judgment-free preparation for the unavoidable financial decisions that graduates face. Learn more about Unavoidable Money Decisions: https://grl.pub/Money-Decisions

Can I Get a Retake? welcomes a variety of perspectives. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Great River Learning.

Before Atwan was a chemist, an educator, a researcher, a business owner, or a community advocate, he was a kid on his grandmother's porch, making Sunday tea — unknowingly learning about solubility, heat transfer, and acid-base chemistry without a textbook in sight. That origin story shapes everything about the way he teaches today.

In this episode, Dr. Antwan Daniels — community college chemistry professor, K-12 instructional coach, and author of Pathways to Allied Health — makes a compelling case that chemistry isn't just for "smart people" or "math people." It's for all people. He shares how constructivist learning theory, built-in social-emotional support, and culturally affirming curriculum are changing outcomes for students who never saw themselves in a science classroom.

Antwan has spent his career dismantling one of education's most stubborn myths: that science is for a certain kind of person. Chemistry, he argues, is the central science. It's not a gate. It's a pathway. And there's a difference.

Can I Get a Retake? welcomes a variety of perspectives. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Great River Learning.

What does it mean to truly learn a language? For Hélène de Fays and Pello Huesa, coauthors of Gente, Lengua Y Cultura and educators at UNC Chapel Hill, it's never just about memorizing vocabulary or conjugating verbs. Language learning is about engaging with the enormous linguistic, cultural, and political diversity within Spanish-speaking communities—and understanding that language itself is identity, history, and collective effort.

In this conversation, Pello and Hélène share how they curated a textbook that centers the direct voices of Spanish speakers themselves through articles, letters, videos, songs, and recipes. They discuss the challenges of representing such vast cultural complexity, from Bad Bunny's Caribbean music to ancient Aztec influences on modern tacos. They push back against result-oriented learning that reduces language to grades, arguing instead for patience, persistence, and the deeply human work of communication.

Whether you teach world languages or simply want to understand how culture shapes learning, this episode offers a refreshing perspective: language isn't something you master—it's something you live.

Learn more about their publication at https://grl.pub/GenteLenguaCultura

Can I Get a Retake? welcomes a variety of perspectives. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Great River Learning.