Monday, May 20, 2024
Lane Hughes felt the call to give back during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a sophomore
in college, he spent time volunteering with the Children鈥檚 Medical Center and the
American Red Cross helping deliver blood donations and providing companionship to
patients when their families could not visit.
鈥淚 was usually assigned overnight shifts, but I didn鈥檛 mind because I enjoyed being able to do something positive for my community when the world was in disarray during the pandemic,鈥� Hughes said.
Through those first-hand experiences, Hughes also felt the call to become a doctor.
As he explored his options for medical school, a chance meeting with an admissions recruiter introduced him to The . After that, he set his focus on attending the .
To improve his chances of acceptance to TCOM, Hughes applied to the in HSC鈥檚 .
鈥淚 heard that the rigor of the Med Sci program prepared incoming medical students well for the medical school curriculum, and that I could make connections with faculty and students on campus, all of which were major draws to the program,鈥� Hughes said.
鈥淭he school is phenomenal, and the resources are fantastic, but I wouldn鈥檛 have known about any of that if I hadn鈥檛 met with the folks from admissions who visited UT Dallas.鈥�
Thanks to that chance encounter, and the Master of Science in Medical Science program, Hughes will start medical school at TCOM this fall.
Tell us about your journey leading up to attending HSC.
I鈥檓 from DeSoto County, Mississippi, and I came to DFW in 2019 to pursue my bachelor鈥檚 in biology at the University of Texas at Dallas. My goal was to go to medical school after I graduated, so I attended a ton of pre-health events and recruitment fairs while I was at UTD. It was there that I met many of our current admissions staff who told me about the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and the School of Biomedical Sciences Medical Sciences program.
What inspired you to pursue your degree at HSC?
I wanted to improve my medical school application before applying to TCOM, which is why I applied to the medical science program. I had also heard that the rigor of the program prepared incoming medical students well for the medical school curriculum, and that I could make connections with faculty and students on campus, all of which were major draws to the program.
The main reason I chose HSC was because of the people I met who told me about HSC. The school is phenomenal, and the resources are fantastic, but I wouldn鈥檛 have known about any of that if I hadn鈥檛 met with the folks from admissions who visited UTD, or visited campus myself and heard from students and staff about how awesome HSC is.
What academic achievements are you proud of?
I received Collegium V Honors with my bachelor鈥檚 degree back in May 2023. There were GPA and honors class hour requirements, but I鈥檓 most proud of the Capstone project I submitted, titled 鈥淧eaches, Patriotism, Parenthood: The Memoir of Les Petecki.鈥� For this class project, my writing partner and I conducted primary research into the life of Les Petecki, a hospice patient served by a facility close to UT Dallas, as told by his wife and family. We gave virtual interviews and visited their hometown to view the family gravesite and the church where Les and his wife were married. We then drafted, edited and published the memoir in his honor.
Who had an impact on your success at HSC?
Definitely my partner, Anna. Though there鈥檚 a long list of people who鈥檝e helped me get to where I am, she鈥檚 been my biggest supporter through all my highs and lows. I can鈥檛 imagine having gone through this past year without them.
What advice do you have for current or future HSC students?
There are so many resources on campus that go completely unused because people don鈥檛 know about them. Find them and use them! Go to all the random events you can because even if you don鈥檛 know anything about the event, there鈥檚 a good chance you鈥檒l learn something or meet someone new who will help make your HSC experience that much better. Taking a break and getting a free lunch is always a plus as well.
What are your plans for the future?
I鈥檓 happy to announce that I鈥檒l be continuing my journey at HSC as a TCOM OMS-I starting this fall. I currently plan on going into primary care, probably in family medicine, but we鈥檒l see if that changes as I go through medical school.
From - Our People by Matt Havlik