Denise Drane

Denise Drane serves as the Senior Director for Research and Evaluation at Northwestern University's Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, where she has built an impressive career since joining as a Graduate Research Assistant in 2001. Her academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Speech and Language Pathology from Northwestern University and a Master's in Public Health from the University of Sydney. Throughout her tenure, she has led numerous significant initiatives, including co-developing the Gateway Science Workshop Program for STEM courses and spearheading USAID-funded projects supporting learning and teaching in Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon. Her expertise spans program evaluation, critical thinking assessment, and global health education, with particular focus on developing centers to support learning in low-income countries. Currently, she teaches MSCI 445 Writing and Peer Reviewing in Medical Publication at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine and leads evaluation efforts for various NIH, NSF, and AHRQ-funded training programs, including the Postdoc Academy. Her work has significantly contributed to advancing institutional understanding of peer-facilitated learning initiatives and program evaluation in higher education