Scope

QUICK DOSE TTUHSC TOGETHER FACULTY PROFILE FOR THE RECORD Scope News Views from TTUHSC

Got Slime(d)?

A pie in the face isn’t quite as satisfying when masks are worn due to a pandemic. That’s why, this year, the TTUHSC Student Academy of Audiology members chose to slime their professors and student offi cers instead for their annual fundraiser.

Students donated money to vote for the professor and student offi cer they wanted slimed. The winner? Mekenzie Monroe, who’s pictured getting slimed by Moumita Choudhury, AuD, CCC-A, assistant professor in the School of Health Professions Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.

A PLACE WHERE YOU BELONG

Growing up in Houston, Rebecca Kusko, a third-year medical student, appreciated living in a diverse community. “I heard great stories from different cultures and perspectives, and sometimes I heard the not-so-great stories, too.” Kusko joined the recently established TTUHSC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee with a quest to help everyone feel they belong.

TTUHSC established the TTUHSC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

I Heard That!

Snippets caught across the university

“Our hope is to go out to communities with Spanish-speaking members and help get some of these questions answered. Once we do that, hopefully they will have the facts and feel better about getting the vaccine to protect themselves and their families.”

- Luis Castro, second-year medical student and Latino Medical Student Association vice president, discusses outreach initiatives to educate the Hispanic community on vaccinations.

“This program and this expansion will assist in providing more affordable and more accessible health care across our region.”

- Tracee Bentley, president and chief executive officer for Permian Strategic Partnership, a community partner for the $30 million School of Health Professions Physician Assistant Program expansion in Midland, Texas.

“Even though she’s the older sibling, I’ll be the older doctor by like three hours.”

- Steven Philip, PharmD, (Pharmacy ’21) graduated on the same day as his sister, Stacy Philip, MD, (Medicine ’21).

“More than anything, I want to share programming, information and products that normalize Type 1 diabetes. Nowadays, there is so much more information, creativity and tools to help manage the disease. It doesn’t have to be a sad, bad thing.”

Raquel Baron, MD/MPH student, on founding the online community, Type One Together.

American Dream Becomes Reality

Adebola Akunna, PharmD, MPH, BCPS Assistant Professor, Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmacy Practice/Ambulatory Care Division Growing up in Nigeria, Adebola Akunna, PharmD, MPH, BCPS, would count the days until her uncle returned home during semester breaks while in medical school at the University of Ibadan. She, too, wanted to become a doctor someday, never questioning her passion for health care and service to others. Akunna believed it was what she was born to do.

Her family moved from Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government in Nigeria to the Washington, D.C.-Maryland area when Akunna was 15 years old. From a young age, she heard many Nigerians state that America was the “land fl owing with milk and honey,” so she was slightly disappointed when she arrived. “I thought I would see a lot of milk fl owing everywhere,” she added, laughing.

Akunna’s interest in health care shifted to pharmacy while pursuing her undergraduate degree; while it never occurred to her to enter academia, colleagues in her pharmacy residency thought she was the ideal candidate. “I enjoyed working with students and was passionate about education, which was something my father instilled in me during childhood.” During residency, she learned about TTUHSC from fellow residents and now had a new objective in her sights. “I really valued mentorship and knew I would need good leader s starting out as a faculty member,” she said. “I always tell my students that I basically stalked Lisa Chastain (associate professor, division head, Ambulatory Care) by email, and it must have worked because she called me.”

Akunna had even accepted an off er to work for another university, but she turned it down for the position at the Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy in Dallas.

“My family sacrifi ced so much for me to become who I am, I wasn’t about to disappoint them by not taking this opportunity.”

Stat!

“My mom told me I could be anything I wanted to be when I grew up.”

BEVERLY CHILTON, PHD, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE PROFESSOR HAS DONATED MONEY TO SCHOLARSHIPS SINCE 2019 IN HONOR OF HER DONATED MONEY TO SCHOLARSHIPS SINCE 2019 IN HONOR OF HER MOTHER, BETTE B. CHILLTON. MOTHER, BETTE B. CHILLTON.

“The theme, NEURO , (New Experiences Unfold Research Opportunities) encourages students toward the discovery of multiple possibilities. ”

— MARIACRISTINA MAZZITELLI, PHD STUDENT

DIRECTOR, STUDENT RESEARCH WEEK

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POSTERS WERE SUBMITTED FOR THE 33RD STUDENT RESEARCH WEEK, WHICH WAS HELD VIRTUALLY. ALL SCHOOLS WERE REPRESENTED IN THIS YEAR’S EVENT AS WELL AS RESIDENTS AND FELLOWS.