Alumni Spotlight: Jacob C. Phouthavong-Murphy

Major: biology

Minors: pre-med, chemistry, and psychology

"The best part about the pre-med minor is having access to the pre-med committee — a group of faculty from across Nazareth (including sociology, psychology, and more, in addition to science). We had meetings with our pre-med advisor and workshops they put on together, such as writing your essay for med school, or interviewing techniques and practice."

While undergraduates at other colleges only wash glassware to support research, he and fellow  undergrads were immersed in research with a Naz professor showing that a native plant called switchgrass can significantly help remove the invisible toxin Bisphenol-A, better known as BPA, from the environment.

Their research was published in a top-tier international journal, Scientific Reports (part of the prestigious Nature Research journals) — and Phouthavong-Murphy and student research partner Alyssa K. Merrill got top billing as co-first authors, “which is super rare.” 

Phouthavong-Murphy went on to Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York City, toward his goal of becoming a neonatal surgeon. On a visit to Nazareth two years after graduating, to speak to the Pre-Health Professionals Club, he said, "The classes at Naz were very spot on. We've gone more in-depth in med school, but all the concepts I learned here."