From the arts to anatomy: Gwen Moores finds purpose in medicine
Gwen Moores found her calling during the pandemic. After completing an undergraduate degree in German and working abroad in German theaters and opera houses—followed by a stint in financial services in the U.S.—she felt pulled in a completely new direction: medicine.
“Since I hadn’t come from a science background and had been out of school for a while, I started taking prerequisites at community college while exploring different health professions to see where I might fit,” she said.
She explored potential next steps on a campus tour at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth and was impressed with how invested UNTHSC was in student success.
“That kind of support felt rare after navigating this path mostly on my own,” Moores said. “I saw the master’s degree in Medical Science program as a way to test my readiness for medical school in a rigorous but encouraging environment.”
In May 2025, Moores graduates from UNTHSC’s College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences—and this fall, she will begin medical school at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Mentorship, growth
She credits the mentorship of Dr. Rachel Menegaz, associate professor in the Center for Anatomical Sciences, as having a huge impact on her growth while at UNTHSC.
“Dr. Menegaz has been an incredible mentor—patient, generous and full of insight,” Moores said. “There was a steep learning curve in research, and Dr. Menegaz walked me through it.”
One of the most transformative lessons she learned, Moores said, was shifting from a “right answer” mindset to embracing the trial-and-error nature of scientific inquiry.
“Coming from a background of structured coursework and multiple-choice exams, learning to navigate uncertainty at first, but it became one of the most valuable takeaways of my graduate education,” she said.
Menegaz praised Moores’ curiosity and collaborative spirit in the lab.
“Gwen worked with recent Ph.D. graduate Courtney Miller to advance my lab’s adoption of machine learning and workflow automation, so we can better tackle large datasets and complicated morphological questions,” Menegaz said. “Her ‘quality in, quality out’ mindset helped to shape the protocol that will be used for many future studies.”
She added, “It’s been so wonderful to see Gwen’s academic growth and achievements during her time in the Medical Sciences program, and I’m excited to continue collaborating with her as her journey takes her to TCOM.”
Moores plans to continue her research project with the Menegaz lab while in medical school. She’s interested in family medicine and TCOM’s ROME Rural Scholars Program, which fits with her desire to work in a rural or underserved community. She also plans to stay involved with the UNTHSC Advocates for Patient Safety, SaferCare Texas Student Alliance.
“I’d love to combine clinical care with research and advocacy in the future,” she said.
Serving others
Community service has played a major role in Moores’ UNTHSC experience. She’s been involved with the Medical Science Community Service Organization, where, she said, “it’s been refreshing to be surrounded by students who genuinely care about giving back.”
As a community outreach representative for the Student Association of Biomedical Sciences, Moores helped organize events through long-standing UNTHSC partnerships while also looking for new ways to serve the community.
Moores was deeply impacted while volunteering with the Cowtown Marathon’s C.A.L.F. shoe-fitting program, providing underserved children with new running shoes.
“Helping local second graders swap out worn-down running shoes for brand new ones was unexpectedly emotional for me, because for many of them, this is their only pair of shoes,” she said.
Moores was recognized by SABS for her outreach and volunteer efforts with their 2025 Outstanding Member award.
While pursuing her degree, she also participated in the anatomy department’s outreach events and Advocates for Patient Safety workshops, both of which she credits for deepening her commitment to service.
She encourages current and future students to get involved.
“UNTHSC has a unique and supportive community, and being part of student organizations, service projects and research helped me grow in ways the classroom alone couldn’t,” Moores said.
“At first, I was hesitant to take on too much, but leaning in opened doors to friendships, mentorship and purpose.”
Proud moments
Moores’ graduate journey also brought moments of academic pride and learning through collaboration.
Her research poster presentation – reflecting her year-long research project, “The Effects of Bisphosphonate and Exercise Treatment on Craniofacial Morphology in a Mouse Model of Osteogenesis Imperfecta” – won first place at UNTHSC’s 2025 Research Appreciation Day. She was also a poster finalist at this year’s American Association for Anatomy conference and earned second place in the Department of Physiology and Anatomy 3-Minute Thesis competition.
“Presenting my poster and getting feedback from judges was a highlight, as it helped me see my work from a different angle and improved how I communicate science,” she said.
What surprised her the most, she said, was how collaborative research can be.
“People would stop by my poster, share ideas or ask questions that sparked new thoughts,” she said. “That kind of back-and-forth was energizing and made the whole experience even more meaningful.”
For Moores, a change of course in her life and career deepened her sense of purpose and her desire to serve others. Her life-altering decision to pursue research and medicine at UNTHSC has set her on a path she could only have imagined a few years ago.
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