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Pathways to Health Sciences

The Louisiana Tech University College of Applied & Natural Sciences Pre-Professional Health Sciences Advisory Committee was put together to ensure reliable and regular communication with our students interested in pursuing a career in health care. This page, along with embedded links and email communications will provide information and resources through the academic year that help students be best prepared for their future careers.

Committee Members

  • Dr. Donna Hood, Associate Dean Undergraduate Studies & Professor, Nursing, dhood@latech.edu
  • Dr. Jamie Newman, Associate Dean Research & Graduate Studies, Professor, Biology,  jjnewman@latech.edu
  • Ms. D’eane Sheehan, Instructor, Biology, dsheehan@latech.edu
  • Dr. Adam Handy, Assistant Professor, Animal Science
  • Ms. Heather McKenzie, Assistant Professor, Nutrition & Dietetics, mckenzie@latech.edu
  • Dr. Kerrilyn Phillips, Professor, Speech Language Pathology, kphillip@latech.edu

What Students Need to Know

If a student is interested in pursuing a health care career, there are a number of activities that need to be considered in order to acquire shadowing hours, volunteer experiences, leadership opportunities, and additional academic accolades that will set a student apart from other candidates.

Student Organizations

Most of these professional careers have corresponding student organizations. Click on a track below to find more information on these organizations. Through these groups, students not only build relationships and learn from guest speakers, they also acquire volunteer and leadership opportunities that prepare them for the next step in their careers.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer work demonstrates a strong desire and experience giving back to the community, a critical element of any health care career. There are numerous ways for students to gain volunteer experiences and give back to their local and/or hometown communities. Examples include:

Clinical Experience

Most of these professional programs require a minimum number of shadowing and clinical hours, so students should start early reaching out to local professionals, consider participating in the ANS Alumni Mentoring Program, and connect with their own personal family health care providers.

Professional Development

Developing a set of professional communication and interpersonal skills is critical as student progress in their careers. Events and activities that share information and resources will be shared through email, this website, and the Louisiana Tech Events calendar.

Academic Opportunities

Students may come in with academic interests beyond their major and there are several opportunities for a student to explore those through academic minors and undergraduate certificates. A student’s academic advisor and/or any member of this committee can help answer questions. While pursuing a career in an area of health care, students may consider any of the following:

Undergraduate Research & Service-Learning

Students have a number of opportunities to engage in research and service-learning projects, where they can apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world challenges, needs, and questions. Students are encouraged to find these opportunities through their majors and by contacting faculty with active research programs. You can learn more about research and service-learning during Louisiana Tech’s annual symposium and by visiting the Honors College.

Below is a list of Pre-Professional Tracks. Learn more at the links below.