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Episode 23 - Interview with Dr. Dowling-McClay about research (Part 2)
Check out Part 2 of our interview with Dr. KariLynn Dowling-McClay, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy. Dr. Dowling-McClay discusses some of the exciting research opportunities for student pharmacists.
Transcript
Teaser Introduction:
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
They're better than TV sometimes. Like, I would just go out and spend time just standing around with my chickens and just watching at.
Full Episode:
Michele Williams
Welcome to White Coat Radio, a podcast from East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy in Johnson City, Tennessee. Each episode, we cover a wide range of topics about the pharmacy school experience, from study tips to deep dives with faculty and student pharmacists. I'm one of your hosts, Doctor Michele Williams, assistant professor and director of academic success.
Stephen Woodward
And I'm Stephen Woodward, marketing and communications manager. Today we are talking to Doctor KariLynn Dowling-McClay, assistant professor of pharmacy practice again. Her interests include women's health, substance use disorders, and public health.
Michele Williams
Welcome back to White Coat Radio, Doctor Dowling-McClay.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Thank you. I'm excited to be back.
Michele Williams
So I believe that you might be unique among our faculty members in that you do both quantitative and qualitative research. Can you tell us a little bit about what qualitative research is, and then also about the areas in which you research?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes. So qualitative research is such a fun area, and I didn't honestly think about it much at first when I was going through my training and building out my skills in research. First and foremost, I'm a big data nerd. I really like looking at numbers, working with spreadsheets, doing statistical tests. So qualitative research is everything outside of that.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
And so I wasn't naturally drawn to it until I got some exposure to it. That really started when I was doing my postgraduate training. I went through the Master of Public Health program here at ETSU when I first came here as a pharmacy fellow.
Michele Williams
That's kind of data nerd paradise.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
It is. I mean, it gives you all the time you want to really dig into those interests. But what I learned through my mentors and instructors in that program is that you can't form a whole story through research that is just numbers‑driven or quantitative data‑driven. Qualitative is a really important piece of the puzzle.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
So how I look at research now: it’s numbers and it’s stories. And qualitative is the story side of research. With qualitative, you can do a deep dive into a topic—maybe a challenge that a community or population is having—and you can find things you wouldn’t have found just by crunching numbers.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
An example: I have an ongoing project investigating pharmacist prescribing of contraceptives—something pharmacists can do in Tennessee and several surrounding states. But in practice, it's not happening much, even though the state authorizes it.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
This is a multi‑pronged research project involving many students over the years. One piece was interviewing community pharmacists to find out what they think about the state law, why they may not participate, and what would help them participate. Generally, they think it's a good idea—but where is the disconnect?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
To answer that, we needed to talk to the people in the group—community pharmacists. We recruited them, brought them in person or on Zoom, turned on a recorder, asked a bunch of questions, and recorded everything again and again and again.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Qualitative research is rigorous—even though it’s not number‑based. You ask the same questions repeatedly until you keep getting the same answers. That's data saturation. Then you analyze the recordings for common themes.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
By doing that first, we could then better design a survey for a larger group, diving deeper into the questions. I see qualitative and quantitative research working together for full‑perspective research.
Michele Williams
That sounds really interesting.
Stephen Woodward
So you teach a research elective at the college. What can students expect in that class?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes. I may be biased, but I think it's a lot of fun. They get to do research with me outside the classroom. I offer the Pharmacy Practice Research elective series.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
What's unique is that pharmacy practice research is research, but it may be totally different from what students picture. We don’t have a lab or animals or cell lines or fancy equipment. We're out in the community doing research with people and pharmacy systems.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
There’s a lot of human interaction, but also a lot of independent work. I always tell students—as long as they have an internet connection, they can do most of our research from anywhere.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Once oriented, we meet every other week, and between meetings they work toward goals to push the project forward. It’s flexible, independent, and hands‑on.
Michele Williams
I can understand why that's such a popular elective. If a student is interested in doing research with a particular professor who doesn’t teach a research elective, is it still possible to do research with that professor?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Great question. Yes—there is more research happening than what shows up in the elective menu. Every faculty member has different duties and different amounts of research time.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
I offer a lot because my job is 50% research. But others may only have 5–10% research time, so they might not advertise opportunities.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
I always tell students: there’s no harm in asking. And you won’t know unless you ask. Reach out with a professional email, explain your interest and how it aligns with their research, and ask if opportunities exist now or in the future.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
You’re also building rapport. A professor may think of you later when a new project starts.
Michele Williams
So that's great advice. If a student does that, can they get any sort of academic credit?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes, absolutely. Students can still register for research elective credit. It’s almost like a hidden option—no guarantees, but when available, students receive credit for the work.
Michele Williams
Okay, a little inside info there first.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes! It’s like the hidden menu at a coffee shop—you just have to ask.
Michele Williams
Like the veggie burger at some restaurant. Yes.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Exactly—they don’t advertise it, but it may be available.
Michele Williams
That's great. And on a personal note, I happen to know that you're really fond of chickens. Not eating chickens—you don’t want to be eating chickens—but as pets. Can you tell me the story behind your fondness for chickens?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes! Chickens just make me so happy, and I probably talk about them too much. I grew up in a small town in Montana where animals were a big part of life. We had horses, dogs, sheep, goats—lots of animals.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
I was fascinated by birds, and some neighbors had chickens. I loved observing them: they all looked different, acted differently, had distinct personalities. I begged for chickens, and my parents made me study, plan, and save for a year before letting me get them.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
When I finally did, I was so proud. I raised them through middle and high school, took them to the county fair, did all the chores. Chickens are more entertaining than people realize. They have different intelligence levels—you have smart troublemakers and simple ones who get stuck in corners.
Stephen Woodward
Those would be my favorite.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Honestly, they're better than TV sometimes. I'd just stand outside watching my chickens—that was my entertainment.
Stephen Woodward
Are they loud? If you live in a small neighborhood, would they cause problems?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
They can. My neighbors have some secret chickens that I think aren't allowed where we live. I personally love it—it makes me feel at home. But yes, chickens are noisy. Not just roosters—they all make lots of noises.
Michele Williams
Having a pet bird, I know there's a lot of flapping and screeching.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes—that translates completely to chickens.
Michele Williams
That’s how they communicate they are not pleased with something.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes.
Michele Williams
Doctor Dowling-McClay, thank you for joining us today. It was a pleasure speaking with you and learning more about you.
Stephen Woodward
Thanks for listening to White Coat Radio. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. To learn more about East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, visit us at etsu.edu/pharmacy or follow us on social media @ETSUPharmacy. We'll see you next time.
View all episodes
By East Tennessee State UniversityCheck out Part 2 of our interview with Dr. KariLynn Dowling-McClay, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy. Dr. Dowling-McClay discusses some of the exciting research opportunities for student pharmacists.
Transcript
Teaser Introduction:
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
They're better than TV sometimes. Like, I would just go out and spend time just standing around with my chickens and just watching at.
Full Episode:
Michele Williams
Welcome to White Coat Radio, a podcast from East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy in Johnson City, Tennessee. Each episode, we cover a wide range of topics about the pharmacy school experience, from study tips to deep dives with faculty and student pharmacists. I'm one of your hosts, Doctor Michele Williams, assistant professor and director of academic success.
Stephen Woodward
And I'm Stephen Woodward, marketing and communications manager. Today we are talking to Doctor KariLynn Dowling-McClay, assistant professor of pharmacy practice again. Her interests include women's health, substance use disorders, and public health.
Michele Williams
Welcome back to White Coat Radio, Doctor Dowling-McClay.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Thank you. I'm excited to be back.
Michele Williams
So I believe that you might be unique among our faculty members in that you do both quantitative and qualitative research. Can you tell us a little bit about what qualitative research is, and then also about the areas in which you research?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes. So qualitative research is such a fun area, and I didn't honestly think about it much at first when I was going through my training and building out my skills in research. First and foremost, I'm a big data nerd. I really like looking at numbers, working with spreadsheets, doing statistical tests. So qualitative research is everything outside of that.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
And so I wasn't naturally drawn to it until I got some exposure to it. That really started when I was doing my postgraduate training. I went through the Master of Public Health program here at ETSU when I first came here as a pharmacy fellow.
Michele Williams
That's kind of data nerd paradise.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
It is. I mean, it gives you all the time you want to really dig into those interests. But what I learned through my mentors and instructors in that program is that you can't form a whole story through research that is just numbers‑driven or quantitative data‑driven. Qualitative is a really important piece of the puzzle.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
So how I look at research now: it’s numbers and it’s stories. And qualitative is the story side of research. With qualitative, you can do a deep dive into a topic—maybe a challenge that a community or population is having—and you can find things you wouldn’t have found just by crunching numbers.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
An example: I have an ongoing project investigating pharmacist prescribing of contraceptives—something pharmacists can do in Tennessee and several surrounding states. But in practice, it's not happening much, even though the state authorizes it.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
This is a multi‑pronged research project involving many students over the years. One piece was interviewing community pharmacists to find out what they think about the state law, why they may not participate, and what would help them participate. Generally, they think it's a good idea—but where is the disconnect?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
To answer that, we needed to talk to the people in the group—community pharmacists. We recruited them, brought them in person or on Zoom, turned on a recorder, asked a bunch of questions, and recorded everything again and again and again.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Qualitative research is rigorous—even though it’s not number‑based. You ask the same questions repeatedly until you keep getting the same answers. That's data saturation. Then you analyze the recordings for common themes.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
By doing that first, we could then better design a survey for a larger group, diving deeper into the questions. I see qualitative and quantitative research working together for full‑perspective research.
Michele Williams
That sounds really interesting.
Stephen Woodward
So you teach a research elective at the college. What can students expect in that class?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes. I may be biased, but I think it's a lot of fun. They get to do research with me outside the classroom. I offer the Pharmacy Practice Research elective series.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
What's unique is that pharmacy practice research is research, but it may be totally different from what students picture. We don’t have a lab or animals or cell lines or fancy equipment. We're out in the community doing research with people and pharmacy systems.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
There’s a lot of human interaction, but also a lot of independent work. I always tell students—as long as they have an internet connection, they can do most of our research from anywhere.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Once oriented, we meet every other week, and between meetings they work toward goals to push the project forward. It’s flexible, independent, and hands‑on.
Michele Williams
I can understand why that's such a popular elective. If a student is interested in doing research with a particular professor who doesn’t teach a research elective, is it still possible to do research with that professor?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Great question. Yes—there is more research happening than what shows up in the elective menu. Every faculty member has different duties and different amounts of research time.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
I offer a lot because my job is 50% research. But others may only have 5–10% research time, so they might not advertise opportunities.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
I always tell students: there’s no harm in asking. And you won’t know unless you ask. Reach out with a professional email, explain your interest and how it aligns with their research, and ask if opportunities exist now or in the future.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
You’re also building rapport. A professor may think of you later when a new project starts.
Michele Williams
So that's great advice. If a student does that, can they get any sort of academic credit?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes, absolutely. Students can still register for research elective credit. It’s almost like a hidden option—no guarantees, but when available, students receive credit for the work.
Michele Williams
Okay, a little inside info there first.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes! It’s like the hidden menu at a coffee shop—you just have to ask.
Michele Williams
Like the veggie burger at some restaurant. Yes.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Exactly—they don’t advertise it, but it may be available.
Michele Williams
That's great. And on a personal note, I happen to know that you're really fond of chickens. Not eating chickens—you don’t want to be eating chickens—but as pets. Can you tell me the story behind your fondness for chickens?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes! Chickens just make me so happy, and I probably talk about them too much. I grew up in a small town in Montana where animals were a big part of life. We had horses, dogs, sheep, goats—lots of animals.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
I was fascinated by birds, and some neighbors had chickens. I loved observing them: they all looked different, acted differently, had distinct personalities. I begged for chickens, and my parents made me study, plan, and save for a year before letting me get them.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
When I finally did, I was so proud. I raised them through middle and high school, took them to the county fair, did all the chores. Chickens are more entertaining than people realize. They have different intelligence levels—you have smart troublemakers and simple ones who get stuck in corners.
Stephen Woodward
Those would be my favorite.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Honestly, they're better than TV sometimes. I'd just stand outside watching my chickens—that was my entertainment.
Stephen Woodward
Are they loud? If you live in a small neighborhood, would they cause problems?
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
They can. My neighbors have some secret chickens that I think aren't allowed where we live. I personally love it—it makes me feel at home. But yes, chickens are noisy. Not just roosters—they all make lots of noises.
Michele Williams
Having a pet bird, I know there's a lot of flapping and screeching.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes—that translates completely to chickens.
Michele Williams
That’s how they communicate they are not pleased with something.
KariLynn Dowling-McClay
Yes.
Michele Williams
Doctor Dowling-McClay, thank you for joining us today. It was a pleasure speaking with you and learning more about you.
Stephen Woodward
Thanks for listening to White Coat Radio. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. To learn more about East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, visit us at etsu.edu/pharmacy or follow us on social media @ETSUPharmacy. We'll see you next time.