December Spotlight: Jordan Dunigan
Jordan Dunigan is a third-year Pre-Med student majoring in Medical Laboratory Science within the College of Pharmacy.
He is passionate about research aimed at improving interprofessional collaboration among medical teams. Jordan aspires to become an Emergency Medicine physician in the future.
On campus, Jordan serves as Captain of the Track and Field team, specializing in hammer and discus throw. He is also actively involved in several student organizations, including the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Pre-Health Student Athlete group, the Pre-Med AMSA chapter, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Outside of academics and athletics, Jordan enjoys attending concerts, cheering for the Chicago Bears, spending time with family, working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), and riding motorcycles.
Which health career are you pursuing? What got you interested in this path?
Dunigan: I am pursuing a career as an Emergency Medical Physician. What interested me in this path was a mix of all of the stories my mother told me about being a Nurse in the ER, the time spent in the ER with my family, and the composure and skill the Physicians showed during what were really emotional times of our lives.
You were one of our student pilots for the PHSRC Observership Program, a program that's launching in spring 2026. Can you describe your experience piloting the program? What moments stood out, or what were some of your big takeaways?
Dunigan: The experience that I got from piloting the program was one that definitely changed my perspective on interprofessionalism. We spent the day following different care teams, paying close attention to their communication with each other and their patients. My biggest takeaway was how important the personal aspect is when it comes to communicating with your patients. All of our highest-rated interactions involved our team remembering different things in our patients' lives outside of medical needs.
You're a third-year student in the PHSRC Health Profession Pathways Program. What have been some highlights from being in Pathways? Are there any events, classes, workshops, etc, that stand out as you've gone through the program?
Dunigan: As a third-year student, the highlights of my personal experience have been the dinner workshops where we get to work on our future goals and plans. I also really enjoy talking to my mentor as he goes through what I plan to do in the future, while he helps me with what I am doing right now. Lastly, above all, I love the personal support we get from the PHSRC staff compared to other students.
What's your experience been like being both a student athlete as well as a pre-health student? How do you manage your time?
Dunigan: My experience as a student athlete, as well as a Pre-Health student, has been awesome! Both of these things are not something that I became chasing titles, but rather are just a part of my path. Even if I weren’t an athlete, I would definitely be a Pre-Health student. It’s busy, but outside of some of the harder classes, I enjoy every bit of being a pre-health student athlete. And when it comes to managing my time, I rely heavily on my calendar, and I really try to make the most of the blank spots on my calendar, whether that's studying or sometimes it's finding a way to relax!