Professor honored with service learning award for innovative teaching

Meena Vijayaraghavan, a senior professor of practice in cell and molecular biology in the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering, has found a powerful way to combine genetics with service learning — by collaborating with New Orleans memory care units. 

That approach recently earned Vijayaraghavan, known by her students as Dr. V, the 2026 Barbara E. Moely Service Learning Teaching Award, bestowed annually by the Tulane Center for Public Service. 

The award recognizes faculty who demonstrate leadership in service learning by designing meaningful community-based experiences, connecting academic content to service and advancing civic engagement through teaching, research and community collaborations. 

Over 20 years at Tulane, Vijayaraghavan has integrated service learning into her courses, including water sampling projects in her Intro to Cell & Molecular Biology class through a long-standing collaboration with LUMCON, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, a statewide network that advances marine research and education. 

She began working with New Orleans memory care facilities about 10 years ago as part of her genetics course. Through that work, Vijayaraghavan introduces students to the realities of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, giving them the opportunity to observe real-world examples of memory loss and connecting them to genetic concepts such as disease progression, variation and the biology of neurodegeneration. 

At Poydras Home, for example, students spend weeks getting to know residents and creating mementos to celebrate their lives. 

Students, many of whom are aspiring physicians, have described their time with residents as among the most impactful and rewarding of their college years. 

But the experience goes beyond personal connection. Students also observe and analyze what they see, such as short-term memory loss or long-term recall, and tie those observations to scientific concepts. 

“They’re not just there to talk,” Vijayaraghavan said. “They observe, they research and they present their findings. It’s directly connected to the course.” 

Students also develop patience and empathy. 

“It can be frustrating when a patient doesn’t remember something or can’t finish a sentence,” she said. “As future doctors, it’s very important for them to keep pace with patients and not hurry them.” 

To prepare students, she incorporates training sessions and role-playing exercises so they know what to expect, including how to respond if a resident becomes upset. 

“Our goal is not to make the residents anxious,” Vijayaraghavan said. “We’re there to learn from the residents and support them.” 

When Vijayaraghavan learned she had received the Barbara E. Moely Service Learning Teaching Award, she was quick to credit her students. 

“I was beyond elated and grateful,” she said. “This award recognizes the immense work that students put in outside of their already demanding coursework, as well as the time our community collaborators devote to making these experiences meaningful.” 

Vijayaraghavan credits the Tulane Center for Public Service, her community collaborators and her service learning assistants for helping make those experiences possible. 

Over the years, Vijayaraghavan has received multiple honors for teaching and advising, but she points to her students as her greatest influence. 

“They have taught me so much,” she said. “They have shaped me as a faculty member.”