Diversity Series: A Seat at the Table

Michaela Jansen, Pharm.D. Ph.D. joined the faculty of the TTUHSC School of Medicine in 2008. Dr. Jansen is serving as Assistant Dean for the Pre-Clerkship Curriculum since 2018. In this role she oversees the administration, evaluation and optimization of all eight courses during the first curricular phase. She is additionally involved as a co-course director for one of these courses and instructor in several courses. Dr. Jansen took the lead in the school’s response to disruptions to the pre-clerkship curriculum due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that all students progressed through the curriculum without major interruptions. Dr. Jansen has also served as co-chair of the curriculum redesign steering committee which developed a revised curriculum that was implemented for the Class of 2025.  

Dr. Michaela Jansen is Associate Professor in the Departments of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics and of Medical Education, and her scholarly activity encompasses both discovery research in neuroscience and biophysics of membrane transport proteins as well as medical education. Dr. Jansen’s has been the principal investigator on federal grants from the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2003. Dr. Jansen has mentored more than 60 undergraduates, graduate students, medical students, and postdoctoral researchers for their research projects. Lastly, she is a member of two centers of excellence at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, the Center for Membrane Protein Research and the Center for Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutics.

Dr. Jansen was born in Germany and moved to Lubbock via a 5-year stay in New York City. She is an active member of the vibrant running and triathlon communities in Lubbock. Together with her spouse, two sons, and canine the family also enjoys hiking in Caprock Canyon.

Dr. Morales has served as the Associate Dean since April 2017.  He previously was named the Assistant Dean in August 2016.  He is a graduate of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine.  He completed his Family Medicine residency training at Texas Tech as well.  During his residency, Dr. Morales served as the chief resident.

Dr. Morales has been on faculty at Texas Tech since April 2012.  He also serves as an Associate Professor for the Department of Family and Community Medicine.  He is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.  He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.  He has multiple roles in the school of medicine which include serving on various committees for Texas Tech and teaching in the FMAT program.

Dr. Morales still has an active medical practice that serves the families of Lubbock and the surrounding West Texas communities.  His practice includes the care of newborn, obstetric, adult, and geriatric patients.  Dr. Morales also serves as the faculty advisor for the Latino Medical Student Association and was the founding member of the Bernard Harris Pre-Med Society at Texas Tech University.  He loves to teach and provides mentorship for many medical students and residents.

Howdy ❤  I am a current MS4 at the Amarillo campus. I was born and raised in Houston and consider myself a city girl at heart! I graduated from Texas A&M University (WHOOP) in December of 2018. After graduating, I worked as a Pre-K teacher for one semester and then briefly at the UT Southwestern Cancer Research Center. Highlights from my first two years of medical school include participating in the culinary medicine elective, a short TTAP experience, and serving as the president of SNMA. This fall, I will be applying to Internal Medicine residencies. I plan to pursue a fellowship following residency, most likely in Heme/Onc but I'm open to other subspecialties. My interests include patient advocacy and medical education. In my free time, I enjoy going to my step aerobics class at the gym and hanging out with my friends (:

I am a rising MS3 interested in pursuing either Family or Internal medicine. I initially went to Southern Methodist University, where I had earned a spot on the school's Division 1 Swim Team. However, the stress of college, coming to terms with both my mental health issues and my sexuality lead me to take an academic withdrawal and finish undergrad back home at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). While at UTEP and thereafter, I involved myself in several initiatives, including coaching which was transformative for my self confidence. I am a nontraditional student who took the MCAT once but had to apply to medical school twice and earn a masters in between cycles. During graduate school and now medical school, I have been involved in several leadership roles, academic committees, and research projects, with a newfound focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. I value transparency and advocacy for mental health and LGBTQIA inclusion, which is a platform I have taken on Tik Tok as well (@javifromtiktok). More recently, to give myself more time to study for STEP 1 and to better my mental health, I will be taking a leave of absence from medical school for year and pursue a Master's in Public Health, and will continue with clinicals in April. Until then I am focusing on my mental and physical health, my dog, and growing my Tik Tok, LOL :)

I (he/him) am a third-year medical student in the TTUHSC School of Medicine. Born in East Texas, I was awarded a Bachelors in Science in Biology with a minor in Communication from Texas A&M University in 2018. My primary foci include community health outreach, emergency medicine research, and LGBTQ+ advocacy in healthcare. In addition to my ongoing research into community sexual health resource awareness in the emergency department, I have also served as the President of the TTUHSC Genders & Sexualities Alliance, a Student Ambassador for Diversity & Inclusion, a Dean’s Ambassador, a student leader for the Global Health Elective, and a course coordinator for the School of Medicine’s first-ever LGBT Health Elective. In my free time, I can also be found shopping for new plants at Lowe’s or attending one of the local drag shows.

Howdy, I am a third year medical student at Permian Basin campus. I was born and raised in Tehran, the capital of Iran. I received my bachelor of engineering from University of Tehran. I moved to US in 2011. I received my second bachelor degree from UT Austin majoring in neuroscience & biology.  I adopted my first dog during my first year of medical school and his name is Luka. I adopted my second dog during my third year of medical school and his name is Leo. Y’all might see my boys on camera 😊. I am excited to talk about third year and my new campus.

My name is Khaja Siddiqui and I am second year medical student here at the HSC. I attended undergrad at the University of Houston and received a Masters in Public Health from UTHealth and a Masters in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M. Prior to coming into medical school, I had the opportunity to work in corporate crisis management. In my life, especially as person with a disability, I recognized early on I was —and still very much am—privileged for the opportunities I have had. Pursuing medicine for me has been a way I feel I can pay this forward. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, amateur photography, and rowing. I’m excited to be here and am always open to meeting new people. Feel free to reach out anytime!

My name is Madeline Yuan and I am currently an MS2 at TTUHSC. I am a first-generation medical student and my family is originally from China, but I grew up in Abilene, TX. Some might say I am a health nut - I enjoy triathlons, sports and all outdoorsy things. But really, I just love being active and sharing this passion with others. I realized this through my experiences coaching youth soccer, teaching piano lessons, and being an older sister to my neurodivergent sibling. Truly, I think it's easy to forget what a privilege it is to be able-bodied or able-minded. My hope is to go into a pediatric specialty - though what exactly is undecided, I wish to focus on marginalized groups with an intention to empower children and make opportunities once impossible, possible.

I’m a PGY-3 in Emergency Medicine. I grew up in South Texas specifically the Rio Grande Valley but completed my undergraduate and medical school at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. I feel like a first-generation everything! My family is largely from Mexico. I was the first person in my family to graduate from high school and from there I continued higher education and now I’m here in Lubbock completing residency. Before medical school I studied Immunology as an undergrad and participated in several research projects, including the study of protein folding involved in Lou Gehrig's Disease. One of the most enjoyable things I did was my participation in community outreach programs aimed to get kids interested in STEM fields and teach Sex-Ed to middle school kids. I like to dabble in digital illustration; it would be awesome to illustrate a children’s book one day!

Dr. Brandon Rogers is a current fellow in the Cardiovascular Medicine program at Texas Tech University. He graduated from Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados and completed his Internal Medicine residency training at Texas Tech University Health Science Center. During his residency, he served as the chief resident and worked closely with mentorship and teaching of medical students and residents. He has participated in several research endeavors as well as spoken at many major medical conferences. He is involved in several organizations including Association of Black Cardiologist. His current clinical interest includes Invasive Cardiology with emphasis in Cardio-oncology and Preventative cardiology.