Jill Tall

Dr. Jill Tall - profile photo

Dr. Jill Tall

Associate Professor

Chemical & Biological Sciences

Ward Beecher Hall 4026

phone: (330) 941-1387

jmtall@ysu.edu

Bio

Dr. Jill Michelle Tall is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences at Youngstown State University whose work integrates innovative teaching, undergraduate research mentorship, and student-centered program development. Her teaching emphasizes scientific reasoning, professional identity, and decision-making in pre-health and biomedical students, and includes course redesigns in General Biology, Pharmacology, and Biomedical Research, as well as the development of honors and general education offerings. She was nominated for a Distinguished Professorship in Teaching and is recognized for creating high-impact, engaging learning environments.

Dr. Tall leads the Undergraduate Pre-Health Learning Lab, where students engage in collaborative, publication-oriented research on mindset, resilience, and student success in pre-health education. Her work is supported by competitive undergraduate research funding, including the Ohio Space Grant Consortium, and includes active projects involving human subjects research and interdisciplinary health topics. She maintains an active manuscript pipeline with student co-authored publications in preparation and contributes to scholarly dissemination through conference presentations and peer review.

She is the recipient of the 2025 Libra Award for excellence in faculty advising and serves as advisor to the Pre-Physician Assistant Society, supporting student leadership and professional development. Her service includes departmental leadership roles, campus outreach, and the development of initiatives that promote student belonging and engagement.

Through her teaching, scholarship, and service, Dr. Tall is committed to advancing student success and building meaningful connections between education, research, and professional practice.

Research Interests

My scholarship focuses on undergraduate science education, with particular emphasis on how pre-health and biomedical students develop scientific identity, resilience, and effective learning strategies. I am especially interested in mindset, stress and coping, and the factors that influence student success in rigorous academic environments. My work often incorporates systematic review and evidence synthesis approaches, as well as human-subjects research, to examine learning, well-being, and engagement. I am also interested in interdisciplinary connections between education and human health, including topics such as mental health, behavioral support systems, and the integration of emerging tools and technologies into teaching and learning. Across my scholarship, I aim to generate findings that are both methodologically rigorous and directly applicable to improving student outcomes in undergraduate science education.

Teaching Interests

My teaching interests focus on human physiology, pharmacology, and biomedical science, with an emphasis on developing scientific reasoning, evidence-based decision-making, and professional identity in pre-health and biology students. I am particularly interested in integrating case-based learning, systems-level thinking, and real-world applications to help students connect biological concepts to human health and clinical practice. My work also emphasizes scientific communication, including the ability to translate complex ideas for diverse audiences. Across courses, I am committed to evidence-based pedagogy, active learning, and creating engaging, student-centered environments that support both academic success and long-term professional development.

  • 2001

    Ph D, Pharmacology

    Kent State University, School of Biomedical Sciences, In cooperation with Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine

    Dissertation/Thesis Title — "The effects of gonadal hormones on the behavioral manifestations of chronic neuropathic and acute inflammatory nociception"

  • 1996

    BS, Zoology

    Arizona State University

  • 2026

    Youngstown State University

    Distinguished Professorship Award in Teaching

    Selected for the university’s 2026 Distinguished Professorship Award in Teaching in recognition of excellence in teaching and outstanding dedication to student learning. The award reflects the high regard of colleagues for the quality of instructional work and its impact on students.

  • 2025

    Youngstown State University

    Libra Award

    The Libra Award is presented to the outstanding faculty/staff advisor of a registered student organization. This award is designed to recognize the contributions and commitment to furthering student leadership development made by advisors.

  • 2001 - 2003

    Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

    Postdoctoral Fellow

  • 2000 - 2001

    Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology & Pharmacology, Rootstown, OH

    Lecturer

  • 1999 - 2000

    Department of Dental Hygiene, Stark State College of Technology, Canton, OH

    Lecturer

  • 1997 - 2001

    Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Rootstown, OH

    Graduate Teaching Assistant

  • 2019

    "Brainwave Self-Regulation During Bispectral IndexTM Neurofeedback in Trauma Center Nurses and Physicians After Receiving Mindfulness Instructions"

    C. Dunham, A. Burger, B. Hileman, E. Chance, A. Hutchinson, C. Kohli, L. DeNiro, J. Tall, P. Lisko

    Frontiers in Psychology, Frontiers Media SA, volume 10

  • 2015

    "Minimal impact of an electronic medical records system"

    J. Tall, M. Hurd, T. Gifford

    The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Elsevier BV, volume 33, issue 5, p. 663-666

  • 2010

    "Effects of soy diet on inflammation‐induced primary and secondary hyperalgesia in rat⋆"

    J. Borzan, J. Tall, C. Zhao, R. Meyer, S. Raja

    European Journal of Pain, Wiley, volume 14, issue 8, p. 792-798

  • 2007

    "Lumbar Sympathectomy Attenuates Cold Allodynia But Not Mechanical Allodynia and Hyperalgesia in Rats With Spared Nerve Injury"

    C. Zhao, L. Chen, Y. Tao, J. Tall, J. Borzan, M. Ringkamp, R. Meyer, S. Raja

    The Journal of Pain, Elsevier BV, volume 8, issue 12, p. 931-937

  • 2004

    "Tart cherry anthocyanins suppress inflammation-induced pain behavior in rat"

    J. Tall, N. Seeram, C. Zhao, M. Nair, R. Meyer, S. Raja

    Behavioural Brain Research, Elsevier BV, volume 153, issue 1, p. 181-188

  • 2004

    "Antiallodynic Effects of Systemic and Intrathecal Morphine in the Spared Nerve Injury Model of Neuropathic Pain in Rats"

    C. Zhao, J. Tall, R. Meyer, S. Raja

    Anesthesiology, Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health), volume 100, issue 4, p. 905-911

  • 2004

    "Analgesic effects of a soy-containing diet in three murine bone cancer pain models"

    C. Zhao, P. Wacnik, J. Tall, D. Johns, G. Wilcox, R. Meyer, S. Raja

    The Journal of Pain, Elsevier BV, volume 5, issue 2, p. 104-110

  • 2004

    "Effects of gender and gonadal hormones on nociceptive responses to intraplantar carrageenan in the rat"

    J. Tall, T. Crisp

    Neuroscience Letters, Elsevier BV, volume 354, issue 3, p. 239-241

  • 2004

    "Dietary Constituents as Novel Therapies for Pain"

    J. Tall, S. Raja

    The Clinical Journal of Pain, Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health), volume 20, issue 1, p. 19-26

  • 2003

    "Role of μ-opioid receptors in formalin-induced pain behavior in mice"

    C. Zhao, Y. Tao, J. Tall, D. Donovan, R. Meyer, S. Raja

    Experimental Neurology, Elsevier BV, volume 184, issue 2, p. 839-845

  • 2001

    "Gender and the behavioral manifestations of neuropathic pain"

    J. Tall, S. Stuesse, W. Cruce, T. Crisp

    Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, Elsevier BV, volume 68, issue 1, p. 99-104

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