Grad Shaquan David headed to top residency program

MAY 9, 2022 — Shaquan David took a health care class in high school because a girl he liked was in the course. But he ended up falling in love with the practice of medicine instead. After he earns his doctorate in physics this month, he’ll be headed to one of the nation’s top residency programs at the Mayo Clinic.

David traces his love for medicine back to his high school health course and to the Greeks. While there, he studied the Hippocratic Oath, the oath of ethics historically taken by physicians, and discovered someone who he felt represented him in history.

“Most of my peers wanted to be rappers and athletes, because a lot of the people who looked like us were in that arena. We didn’t see doctors or lawyers in my community,” said David.

“There were people like me in that history as pioneers in this movement in medicine.”

When I studied the Hippocratic Oath,” he added, “I learned that Hippocrates worshipped a god who was an African Egyptian known as Imhotep, and he was a physician. There were people like me in that history as pioneers in this movement in medicine. I knew I had to go the physics direction to have a more innovative approach and be part of the solution in improving the quality of health care.”

South Carolina born and Texas bred, David grew up in Killeen, Texas and in Houston. He left the state for his undergraduate studies at Xavier University of Louisiana but was quick to return home and attended University of Houston-Clear Lake for graduate school before enrolling at UTSA in 2018.

“Texas is moving forward in involving diversity and showcasing their work, and bringing in people from different walks of life into higher professions that we’re not represented in, especially UTSA,” David said.

David remembers the UTSA College of Sciences and Department of Physics welcoming him with open arms. He received financial and research support from several sources, including the university’s Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) program, which assists underrepresented faculty, students and investigators who are performing research in biomedical sciences. The support supplemented funding for David’s research on improving the quality of radiation treatment for cancer patients by using nanotechnology.

“They also provided counseling in terms of how we cultivate our skills, not only in research and teaching but also in mentoring,” he added.

UTSA is a Tier One research university and a Hispanic Serving Institution that has developed and implemented dozens of student success programs that guide students to develop meaningful, personalized pathways to achieve personal and professional growth. The RISE program is one of several programs across UTSA making higher education more affordable for students who are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

While at UTSA, David has worked as a teaching assistant in the physics department and as a professor of molecular biophysics. These opportunities allowed him to share in the support he’s received—and the successes.

While at UTSA, David has worked as a teaching assistant in the physics department and as a professor of molecular biophysics. These opportunities allowed him to share in the support he’s received—and the successes.

“It’s a victory for all of us. That’s the mindset that UTSA has. Not just the institution itself, but the people I’ve crossed paths with at this institution. From the faculty members and my mentor, Dr. Kathryn Mayer, to my committee members, the students and my colleagues— everybody was rooting for me,” David said. “We’re all on this same path in our unique approach to pursuing and reaching goals. Everybody is going to be successful. That’s what I saw throughout all my time here.”.

UTSA awards on average more than 120 doctorate degrees annually. Forty seven percent of the university’s doctoral graduates identify as Black or Latino.

— Ari Castañeda