Todd A. Nolan

Todd A. Nolan, Ph.D., serves as Assistant Professor of Physiology and Director of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Dental Medicine in Bradenton, Florida. He co-directs the Orthodontics course, lectures on craniofacial development, and teaches neuromuscular physiology in Pharmacy and Medical Science programs alongside pain physiology in Oral Surgery.

Dr. Nolan's educational background includes:

• Undergraduate studies at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
• Ph.D. in Physiology from East Carolina University under Dr. Kori Brewer
• Four-year fellowship at University of Florida School of Dental Medicine with Dr. John Neubert

His research centers on active learning pedagogies, group dynamics, placebo analgesia, neurodegeneration, and opioid abuse. He developed the licensed Operant Pain Assessment Device (OPAD) and is internationally recognized for expertise in Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Case-Based Learning (CBL), and Team-Based Learning (TBL) curriculum design.

Publications from 2003-2011 reveal consistent focus on orofacial pain mechanisms using innovative testing systems, with emphasis on trigeminal neuropathic pain, central sensitization, and neurobiological correlates of pain behavior across neuroscience, dentistry, and behavioral science disciplines.

Dr. Nolan's contributions to active learning methodologies are acknowledged through faculty development leadership, though specific awards are not enumerated in source materials.

He has guided OPAD development, advised new medical schools on curriculum design, and trained hundreds of educators globally in case development strategies, including recent international workshops for 50+ participants on PBL facilitation efficacy.

His OPAD innovation and curriculum work indicate collaboration with engineering and educational design teams, though specific laboratory structures are not detailed.