A couple of things are certain for graduate students taking any research statistics course that Chris Burant teaches.
He will let his class know right away the material is so challenging they may feel as if they are climbing a steep mountain. He also lets them know he is their safety line, so they should hold on and have a good time.
He likes to open each class with a spirited question for his students: “Are you ready to have some fun with statistics?”
Assistant Professor Christopher J. Burant is the recipient of one of Case Western Reserve University’s highest honors, the John S. Diekhoff Award for Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching. Created in 1978, the award is presented annually to two faculty members who have made exemplary contributions to graduate students in the classroom. Burant will be recognized for his award Sunday, May 17, at commencement.
Burant, PhD, teaches primarily at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing’s Center for Research and Scholarship. Twice a week, he also provides statistical support for the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
“I get excited when I see a student wanting to learn,” he said. “I don’t want the students to be intimidated by the material. If they’re going into the academic world, they will have to do research, and they will need a strong foundation in statistics.”
Burant, who joined the school of nursing faculty in 2007, was aware of the Diekhoff Award, but had never been nominated. This year, when the nomination process began in February, some of his students made certain he would at least be considered.
He “touches the lives of each of his students through his remarkably down-to-earth manner of teaching and genuine care to assure that his students are properly grasping the material,” one student nominator wrote.
Another nominator wrote: “The impact Dr. Burant had on me is best expressed in a sentence I never thought I would say: ‘I love statistics.’ He encourages questions and constantly seeks to further improve his teaching technique.”
Burant said he will always remember the date, April 1, when learned he was selected for the Diekhoff honor. “I told my wife about it. She said, ‘I hope that’s not an April Fools’ joke!’’’ Burant and his wife, Barb, have two sons, Andrew, 19, and Ryan, 14.
Burant’s first experience with a statistics class came as an undergraduate at Cleveland State University. He worked hard at it and earned an A.
“But I did not understand a thing,” he said. “I did know I enjoyed statistics, and that once I figured it out I would be pretty good at it. I was blessed by great teachers and mentors, who went out of their way to foster my interests in statistics.”
One principal investigator from a research institution connected him with experts to train him in statistics for her projects.
“Their enthusiasm for my growth is what I try to pass on to my students,” said Burant, who credits his accomplishments as a teacher to two deans: May Wykle, who hired him, and now Dean Mary Kerr.
Almost all of his classes consist of graduate students at the master’s or doctoral degree levels. Although he is not a nurse, about half of his students are in a nursing research program. He is also involved with students in other wide-ranging disciplines.
“Statistics plays such an important role in providing a foundation for these future nurse scientists and their careers,” Burant said. “Statistics provide the background not only for correctly interpreting new findings, but empowering nurses to become educated consumers of this new knowledge. This translates into nurses who know what the best current possible care is for their patients.”
At the end of each semester, Burant and his students always get together at Mama Santa’s, an Italian restaurant near campus, where they can relax and get to know each other even better.
“These might be people who collaborate in the future,” he said. “It’s just kind of a tradition for my classes. It’s always laid back. We can talk about anything.”