ASU Student Spotlight: Courtney Denson, Biology Major

Courtney Denson is a senior biology major (pre-med), with a concentration in biotechnology. She is the president of the ASU Pre-med Society and participated in an internship with the Department of Defense for an Army research lab. She has received the Synovus Founders Scholarship, Lowe’s Scholarship and the Sabal Trail Scholarship. Denson volunteers in Albany’s after school tutoring program, Head Start of Albany’s “Reading Time is Fun Time,” Samaritan’s Clinic, Samaritan’s Purse and Sherwood Baptist Church. Denson served in the U.S. Navy as a hospital corpsman and as an Emergency Center Technician at Phoebe Putney Hospital.

Sheree Dickenson What motivated you to learn more about the health care profession?

My strong passion for working as a primary care physician derives from my personal, educational and professional background. For as long as I could remember, there has always been this inner calling, to help people. Even after I served in the U.S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, I did not hesitate to get back to my place joining Phoebe Putney Hospital as an EC Tech. With the professional experience acquired so far and currently earning my degree majoring in biology, I am ready to devote all of my time, skills, energy and resources to change the whole situation with the rural healthcare services for the better.

What are some of your achievements as the President of the ASU Premed society?

As President, I made it my goal and passion to see my fellow members succeed in their field. By creating the gold, silver and blue membership status, members have to keep a certain GPA, have shadow hours, research and more. We now have partnerships with organizations such as the City of Albany Recreation, Head Start of Albany, Samaritan Health Clinic, and Made Whole Health solutions. Our biggest partnership was due to ASU Premed society’s Robert provided direct contact with Phoebe’s own Dr. James Black. Dr. Black is the son of the ASU former President, Billy C. Black. With this partnership, we are now able to provide each member an internship with a doctor directly in their field.

What were your responsibilities and what did you learn through your internship at the Department of Defense?

My first experiment, supervised by Dr. James Head, was to investigate the importance of marksmanship and heart rate variability as a function of shooting condition. Responsibilities included data collection, data reduction and statistical analysis using R statistics program. My second experiment was to investigate the interaction between cognitive and physical fatigue using biochemical markers. Responsibilities included providing patients, drawing blood, assessing vital signs and ECG placement.

Who made the biggest impact on you and who is someone you consider to be a role model at ASU?

Dr. Ashok Jain made the biggest impact on me at Albany State University. Dr. Jain was one of the few who saw the potential I possess and pushed me. I have seen my academic career soar higher than I ever imagined.

Someone I consider a role model at ASU would be Dr. Shayla Williams. Dr. Shayla Williams possesses an inner/outer pride that I just can’t explain. She gave me a low grade on an assignment and stated “This is not you, I know you can do much better. I must admit, I am surprised that you of all people would turn this type of assignment……..” I sat there for a moment and was a little upset, because I knew she was right. I half did an assignment along with everyone else because I just wanted an easy A. I have more potential then I realized. It was Dr. Jain and Dr. Shayla Williams who knew that I was much more and accepted nothing less.

What advice would you give to students with an interest in STEM?

Never give up. There are moments where you think, “This may not be for me.” Don’t give in to that idea. We all stumble. We all may fall, but we all must catch ourselves and get back up.. It takes hard work and determination to succeed in the STEM field. Surround yourself with those who understand what you are going through. Surround yourself with individuals who have been through the storm and are almost near the finish line. These individuals will help you through your trials and troubles. Also, never ever turn your back on opportunities because someone informed you not to participate. Take a leap of faith and investigate. Researching all options is the only way you can live your dream.

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