The Center recently connected with two alumni of the Bioethics, Humanities, and Society Undergraduate Specialization following an alumni feedback survey. We asked both students to tell us about their current work or study and how it may relate to bioethics.
Donald Zeolla
I am currently a research assistant at the Jordan/Breedlove Laboratory at MSU and am also an MCAT tutor. In the fall, I will be matriculating into Wayne State University School of Medicine and plan to pursue either neurology or family practice. Bioethics plays a major role in all of these occupations, and the BHS specialization has greatly contributed to my understanding of moral practices as a physician and as a researcher. I commonly employed the values that I learned from BHS in medical school applications and interviews. Many were impressed how I was able to pinpoint so many different lessons from BHS courses and relate them to ethical dilemmas in medicine. Additionally, the exposure to healthcare in non-Western cultures has provided me with the foundation to treat individuals of different backgrounds and beliefs as a future physician. I will carry this newfound understanding of bioethics with me for the rest of my life. I encourage anyone considering working in a health-related field to take interest in how the BHS specialization can open your eyes to the humanitarian side of healthcare.
Fiza Irfan
I am currently working at MSU as a Program Manager for a residential summer bridge program through TRiO Student Support Services. I will be attending the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences this upcoming fall for my master’s in Public Health concentrating in Health Behavior and Health Education. Though my current work in educational policy and programming does not involve bioethics, I am positive that some aspect of the topic will come up during my studies and career in the public health field! I’m still interested in what bioethics teaches people in the health profession, and I believe is it a key part of teaching in any health field. It develops a sense of humanity that some careers often lack.
To find out more about the BHS Specialization, visit bhs.msu.edu.
MSU Bioethics 