UNTHSC Commencement honors new health professionals

Commencement honors new health professionals

May 17, 2016
Education

By Betsy Friauf
The UNT Health Science Center celebrates Commencement on May 21. Some 600 students will receive diplomas this spring, bringing the UNT Health Science Center’s four-decade total to well over 8,000 health professionals.

Numbers tell only part of the story. The real excitement is in our students’ devotion to the university’s values and mission.

During Commencement, seven graduates will be commissioned into the U.S. Armed Services.

Here are just a few of our exemplary spring 2016 graduates, along with the degrees they will receive and a snapshot of their accomplishments:

	Kwynn Gonzalez-Pons: Master of Public Health in Community Health She was recently awarded the School of Public Health’s highest honor, the Richard S. Kurz Award, given to an outstanding graduate who emulates the leadership, accomplishments and qualities of Dean Emeritus Kurz, who retired in August 2015. Gonzalez-Pons has received considerable recognition for her invention to help fight international sex trafficking. She was invited and presented her idea at the Yale University’s 2016 Global Health & Innovation Conference, to gain feedback and mentoring from international experts and speakers at the conference.
	Anh Q. Nguyen: DO and PhD degrees She is this year’s recipient of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Dean’s Award for Scholarly Excellence in Academia and the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean’s Award for Scholarly Excellence with an emphasis on research. She completed her dissertation research under Regents Professor Robert Mallet. Her dissertation focused on pyruvate to lessen brain damage as a result of cardiac arrest and resuscitation. In July she starts her residency in Internal Medicine at UT Medical Branch, Galveston. She recently welcomed her first child.
	Paul McDonald: Master of Physician Assistant Studies McDonald has been an exceptional student, with a 4.0 in his clinical year. He scored highest among his classmates two years in a row on an exam that predicts success on the PA licensing exam. He also served as Class of 2016 Activity Chairman, working with other PA class officers to plan major events and fundraising.
	Macy NeSmith: Doctor of Physical Therapy She has a love of pediatrics and intends to work in a home health setting in the Fort Worth area. She said, “My favorite aspect of my new profession is getting to build relationships with people and transform lives for the better!” She was inspired to become a physical therapist because of her father’s challenges following his spinal cord injury.
	Chad Pittmon: Doctor of Physical Therapy He is an Armed Services veteran and an outstanding writer. “I love to read his assignments,” said Physical Therapy Assistant Professor Brandy Schwarz. Pittmon’s wife had a baby during his clinical rotations. He returned a few days later and impressed the clinic providers sufficiently to hire him. He is especially interested in music and how it helps patients with neurological issues.
	Michela Montecchi-Palmer: PhD in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences She successfully defended, with distinction, her dissertation in the Visual Sciences field. At the same time, she was working full-time at Alcon Laboratories as well as being a mom to two young boys.
	Rebecca Taylor: Master of Physician Assistant Studies An exceptional learner in the classroom and in the clinic, she has achieved an impressive cumulative 4.0 GPA across all years in her PA program. She also relates beautifully to those she serves. Her preceptors describe her as “very kind and easy to get along with,” and “dependable and sweet.”
	Tony Zinnah: Doctor of Physical Therapy His extensive community involvement includes volunteer work at Hope Farm, a leadership program for at-risk boys. Zinnah’s professors describe him as a committed lifelong learner who seeks ways to give back, dedicated to improving the lives of others. Said Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Mike Richardson, “He’s always positive, respectful, professional and hardworking.”