Fayla Junior never misses an opportunity to learn or pull inspiration from those around her.
The Center for Global Health Ethics doctoral student from Nashville, Tenn., absorbs
as much information as possible inside the classroom and out, and she’s always aware
of what new knowledge can bring.
Noticing her passion for health care ethics throughout graduate school, Fayla’s professor,
a Duquesne alumna, told her about the University’s strengths in this discipline.
“I really looked up to her and she spoke very highly of the program,” says Fayla.
“I was able to see how she progressed in her career, and the understanding and leadership
she taught me made me want to come to Duquesne and follow the same path.”
Throughout her education, Fayla has shadowed health care providers in Nashville, Cleveland
and Pittsburgh and participated in rounds to foster better understanding of patient
care, hospital operations and how all disciplines work together in the health care
setting.
Driven by compassion and empathy, Fayla recognizes that these are the life-changing
learning experiences that have allowed her to become a problem-solver who always think
bigger.
“I’m learning the ins and outs of health care, not just from the clinical standpoint,
but also the administrative standpoint,” says Fayla. “I'm seeing the little pockets
of ethics all around.”
Fayla enjoys working with patients and realizes the importance of making health care
more accessible, particularly in smaller communities.
“I’d like to work with people who might not even know ethics exist to help them with
their care and increase quality of life,” she says.
It’s also important to ensure that patients know that health care, wellbeing and ethics
are tied together. “That’s always the most important thing,” she says. “Seeing the
support that you can provide them and expanding their vision and views is one of the
most rewarding things about health care ethics.”
The new Duquesne University College of Osteopathic Medicine and collaborations across
campus will provide even more opportunities for students to break barriers and learn
how they can help to improve health care access throughout their careers.
“When I first heard about the medical school, I thought it would help the next generation
of medical students and people who want to go into the medical field reach that next
level,” says Fayla. “And since being here at Duquesne, one of the things that people
tell others about Pittsburgh is that it's one of the places where health care thrives.”
With a good sense of what she wants to achieve and the impact she can make on the
world, Fayla plans to pursue a professional path with purpose in academia so she can
inspire future students as her own professors have inspired her.
“Hopefully I can be involved in student lives to help them see what is ethical, what's
not ethical, and how it applies not just to health care, but to what they see in their
daily lives,” she says.
News Information
Published
April 05, 2024
New Medical School, Fresh Perspectives
Students from across campus will connect in meaningful, productive ways.
Rose Trimpey-Warhaftig
There’s a huge need for primary care physicians who speak Spanish. I want to use these skills in my daily work to help eliminate barriers.
Jacob Dimenbort
There will be a lot of opportunities for interprofessional work, particularly in the state-of-the-art simulation suites. This is where students start to understand the roles and responsibilities of their colleagues in different simulations such as the emergency room, birthing suite and more.
Rachel Anderson
I prioritize a holistic health approach in my own practice and consider physical, emotional and social wellbeing. It’s really exciting that Duquesne is expanding and working to train new professionals in these resources.
Henry DiPaolo
The opening of Duquesne’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is a great opportunity for collaboration. Pharmacy students can hear different patient cases and collaborate with a team of medical students, nursing students and pharmacy students–just like in the hospital setting.
Kyla Covato
With the medical students we can look at issues they might have and help them discover what we can do about them. I'm excited to collaborate and solve more health issues.
Iván Del Toro Hernández
Sometimes [doctors] say they have patients who would benefit from occupational therapy, and it helps to start that dialogue from the beginning in school–not just during clinical field work.
Cassidy Camp
I feel like the school and faculty will guide medical students and get them on the same positive path faculty have sent me on in the nursing field.
Kirstin Franklin
The new college will allow school psychology students to interact with medical students and learn how those teams work, while medical students get to learn how school systems work. It’s important to have these multidisciplinary teams working together so their patients–our students–can benefit.
Amelia Trello
Duquesne students in the health profession programs are already contributing to the wellbeing of our communities. Now we are putting forth more professionals in the health sphere, and that's a great thing.