The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will present degrees to 162 new health professionals December 14, during its 2018 Winter Commencement. The event will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the Memphis Cook Convention Center.
One graduate from the College of Dentistry, 25 from the College of Graduate Health Sciences, 12 from the College of Health Professions, 26 from the College of Medicine and 98 from the College of Nursing will receive their degrees at the ceremony. UTHSC’s Chancellor Steve Schwab, MD, will confer the degrees.
Lan Tran will receive a Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies, her second degree from UTHSC. She also received her Master of Cytopathology Practice in 2015 and worked in a laboratory for a year before returning to school to become a physician assistant. “I wanted to interact with people, not slides. However, I didn’t want to commit to seven-plus years in medical school. Luckily, around this time, UTHSC had started the physician assistant program, and I decided to go for it.”
A native Memphian, Tran chose UTHSC because of its location. “Memphis is a terrific place to pursue a medical education,” she said. “It is such a melting pot of different communities that provide students exposure to various cultures, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups that allow us to explore the various ways we can learn, practice and teach medicine. There are also endless opportunities to get involved in the community here. At the end of the day, I had not only a quality education, but it was in the backdrop of a unique city full of opportunities and character.”
Tran hopes to pursue her career in the hematology/oncology field once she graduates.
John Staley, president and chief executive officer of Champion Physical Therapy, who is also president of the UT Alumni Association, will offer remarks and welcome the students as alumni. Serving more than 382,000 alumni from five different campuses, the UT Alumni Association has been active since 1836, making it one of the oldest alumni associations in the country.