Rhys Brooks and Christina Termini

Student Success and Access Research and Innovation and Faculty Excellence

At UNM, Rhys Brooks learned medicine by doing it. The School of Medicine’s hands-on training carried him from degrees in biochemistry and medicine to a pediatric residency at UCLA. Today, as a pediatrician in Seattle, he puts that preparation to work in exam rooms with children and families.

Christina Termini also found the rigor and personal attention she needed at UNM. After completing a dual master’s and doctoral program, she pursued postdoctoral training at UCLA. She now leads a laboratory at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, where her team studies how bone marrow regenerates. Her work also opens doors for others through efforts such as the Atlas of Inspiring Hispanic and Latinx Scientists, which makes visible the people building the future of science.

Their careers have taken them beyond New Mexico, but the education that launched them remains close. Rhys is exploring support for future medical students through scholarships and the White Coat Campaign. That support can help a student reach the first day of medical training, put on a white coat, and begin the demanding work of learning how to care for another person.

Rhys and Christina show what a UNM education sets in motion: a student becomes a physician serving families; a researcher builds a lab around questions that could change treatment; both widen the path for those coming behind them.

UNM gave them the preparation to step into highly competitive fields. Be the reason the next physician or scientist receives that same strong start and uses it to improve lives.