Meet the Student Coaches

Shannon has been working with students for 13 years. Her experience includes reading and writing tutoring, medical scribe recruiting and training, second language tutoring, and university library work. She hopes to help students build behaviors that will aid them in their lives through school and beyond. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and theatre from Texas Christian University and a Masters in linguistics from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Shannon is passionate about building relationships and supporting students as they deal with the challenges of their academic careers.

Megan DuBose serves as a Graduate Student Intern at the UNTHSC Career Readiness Center as she completes her Masters in Mental Health Counseling and Executive Coaching Certificate at Southern Methodist University. Megan earned her Bachelor of Arts at Davidson College, majoring in Sociology while also playing Division I volleyball. Between this formal education and nearly 15 years’ experience in the private sector as a digital strategist and consultant, Megan has developed a diverse set of communication, performance and leadership skills that can help in your pursuit of professional and academic excellence. 

For the entirety of this 30-year career, Dr. Hopper has sought out and developed ways to proactively improve the health and wellbeing of students, providers, and patients.   

As an Associate Professor at the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine in Fort Worth, Dr. Hopper was one of the first associates of the Physician Development Coach (PDC) program designed to promote future physician well-being, leadership, impact, and empathy in a rapidly changing medical context.   The PDC program is one of several signature School of Medicine activities that facilitate skills beyond the acquisition of knowledge.   

Prior and interwoven activities:  Dr. Hopper’s population health roles have spanned more than 20 years of healthcare evolution. His roles have included National Medical Director of Integrated Care at Anthem’s Government Business Division, and Chief Medical Officer/VP of Clinical Innovation at Humana’s Behavioral Division. He was part of the thought and leader team transferred to Humana via the purchase of a local Fort Worth company, Corphealth, Inc. On the national stage, he led or co-led early models of integrated telephonic care management and medical provider-specific psychotropic use education. 

At Anthem’s Government Business Division, his team refined targeted field-based case management “on the streets” to help the most vulnerable engage in health.  Fort Worth’s “Pathway to Housing” initiative involving Amerigroup (an Anthem company) was sought out and promoted due to the community-based multi-party braided funding basis.  He also led the transformation of multiple primary care clinics to the Collaborative Care model of Integrated medical/behavioral care. All projects promoted and led by Dr. Hopper in this national role created value through efficiencies AND improved health outcomes.  Professional work now through Hopper Health Strategies, LLC, emphasizes targeted methods for collaborative, team-based care, high-fidelity clinical pathways and targeted advisories, the creation of powerful clinical/operational collaboration, and the leveraging of unique community partnerships.  

Dr. Hopper is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.  He attended and graduated from Baylor University (Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa), The University of Texas Medical Branch, and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dr. Hopper also has an MBA from a combined program with The University of Texas at Dallas, and Southwestern Medical School (Gamma Beta Sigma International Honor Society). 

Ashlee received her Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and Family Living from Stephen F. Austin State University and earned a Master of Science degree in Child Development, with a focus in Child Life from Texas Woman’s University.

Ashlee has been at UNTHSC for over two years and was promoted to Assistant Director in June 2019. In this role, she coordinates institutional events including Commencement, White Coat Ceremony, Discover myHSC Day and the Campus Crawl, as well as Social and Family Programming.

Ashlee’s background and passion for working with students and program planning comes from her previous career in healthcare, as she served as a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX for six years. There she supported a 36 bed unit, while also Chairing the Child Life Practicum Program, was an Internship and Practicum Student Supervisor, as well as Chair and member of the Remembrance Breakfast Planning Committee.

Ashlee enjoys providing opportunities that empower student leadership and inter-professional education practices.

Signature Strengths: Discipline, Responsibility, Relator, Developer, Maximizer

Cathy Kearns serves as the research assistant director for the Osteopathic Research Center in the Department of Family Medicine. She has been with the Health Science Center for 14 years. Prior to joining the Health Science Center team, she worked at the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, and the University of Kentucky. She enjoys coaching students and helping them gain new perspective as they work to continue their transformation during their health professions education and beyond. Her coaching areas of expertise include helping students to think outside of the box when problem-solving, communication, and professional conduct

Mike Pullin is the Systems Librarian for the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.  Though being a librarian was not his first career choice … in fact, he kind of backed into the profession … it seems like it is a natural fit.  In college, he studied to work in either the computer or accounting world, but his first job was as a computer programmer in a library and from then on, he kept coming back to libraries.  Helping people is one of his passions and libraries are the perfect place to express that.  Mike’s hobbies include travel, volunteering in his church, and DIY around his home with his wife, Teri, and their yellow Labrador Retriever named Bumblebee.

Jimmy Renfro, M.Ed., NCC, serves as the Director of the Career Center. He has over 20 years of experience in various facets of higher education administration and student support services and has been at UNTHSC since December 2009. In his current role, he oversees the general operations of the Center, including the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) processes for medical students applying to residency, and contributes to student career development initiatives and advising for all UNTHSC academic disciplines. Jimmy’s philosophy of the individual career journey is that the experience should more resemble “playing on the playground, not climbing a ladder!” Jimmy holds a Master of Education degree in Counseling from UNT and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Sam Houston State University. Jimmy is a National Certified Counselor and holds the distinction of Certified Master of Career Services through the National Career Development Association. In 2019, he completed his Graduate Certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching from the University of Texas at Dallas, and is a candidate for certification through the International Coach Federation (ICF).  

Brandie Wiley is the Assistant Director of Disability Accommodations in the Center for Academic Performance and has been working in higher education since 2012. She has served as a learning specialist in the Center for Academic Performance, a testing coordinator for Testing and Evaluation Services, and as an instructor at the College of Health Care Professions. In addition, she taught as a public school educator for ten years. She has two Bachelor of Arts degrees (English and Speech Communication) from Texas Christian University and a Master of Education in Special Education – Transition from the University of Kansas.

Brandie has a passion for education and enjoys building relationships with students as she helps them achieve their goals.

Strengths: Input, Harmony, Learner, Intellection, Connectedness