ѻý

Student Spotlights

Jannelle Bannor’s desire to become a physician developed when she was a teenager and observed the compassionate care administered to her older sister, who is a cancer survivor. She chose chemistry as her major at ѻý and took advantage of the college’s Health Professions Advising Office. Now the senior from Chattanooga, TN, has been accepted to 16 medical schools.

The Greater Memphis area is home to hospitals and medical research and teaching facilities that are ranked among the best in the nation. In the fall, senior chemistry major Parth Patel will be attending one of those institutions—the University of Tennessee Health Science Center—thanks to learning opportunities at area hospitals and ѻý’ Health Professions Advising Office. Also recently, he received the 2024 Chemistry Research Senior Award for work done at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Taylor Elliott was invited to the annual American Epilepsy Society conference in Chicago to present his clinical research project on the anti-seizure medication cenobamate—the first ѻý student to attend the event.

Visvanathan, who is a chemistry and health equity double major, researched the topic “The Role of Healthcare Providers on Childbirth Experiences” as a ѻý Institute for Regional Studies fellow. Visvanathan was able to find how certain birthing providers manage childbirth expectations and mitigate poor outcomes; her research could be replicated on a larger scale to help pregnant individuals make informed decisions when choosing a healthcare provider.

Despite the pandemic putting a halt to hospital internships and fellowships this summer, Demi Shamsi-Basha remained committed to public health and to helping the Memphis community.