While she was a student at The University of Texas at Dallas, recent graduate Arlin Khan BA’24, BS’24 developed a robust skill set based on her diverse academic experiences in pre-med, history, communications, neuroscience, and humanities, preparing her to excel in her future medical career.
Khan, who graduated last spring with bachelor’s degrees in History from the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology and in Neuroscience from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, had also secured a fellowship at the Center for Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology (CVMST) as an undergrad and garnered various accolades as a member of Comet Speech and Forensics, UT Dallas’ competitive speech team.
Like numerous UT Dallas students, Khan entered with a career goal outside the realm of arts and humanities. While it was always clear to her that her career interest was in health professions, her lifelong passion for history, fueled by reading historical fiction and watching documentaries, led her to explore history courses in college. These classes captivated her so much that she added history as a major by her sophomore year.
Khan embraced a multidisciplinary approach at The Bass School, where she engaged in diverse coursework, participated in clubs, and collaborated with centers under Bass School faculty leadership. Through these experiences, she learned to conduct historical research, present her findings to peers, and become adept at delivering various public speaking presentations, ultimately leading her to grow as a future physician.
As a history major, Khan took courses such as History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, European History, early American History, and Asian History, among others. When approaching research assignments for these courses, Khan always found a way to connect them to healthcare, aiming to understand the different systems and views around the world. In a course on the Cuban Revolution, she chose to research the healthcare system in colonial Cuba and its impact on healthcare policy.
“And at the end of the day, I hope that makes me a more understanding physician for the patients,” Khan said. “When you’re a doctor, you see a diversity of patients. My goal is that through taking these history classes, I can learn some of their stories and the backgrounds of where they come from.”
Khan, who was awarded the CVMST’s Marvin and Kathleen Stone Research Fellowship while she was only a sophomore, investigated the intersection of culture and health. Her fellowship enabled her to build upon a proposal initiated during her studies in Historical Inquiry (HIST 3301) with Dr. Rosemary Admiral and explore how Islamic healthcare practices intersected with responses to the Black Death in the Middle East.
The CVMST’s weekly meetings for Fellows to present updates on their ongoing research projects were valuable opportunities for Khan to highlight her research, receive feedback from other scholars and advance her growth as a researcher, culminating in the publication of her report on the CVMST website.
“It’s something that I always love to tell people, especially people that I help mentor and tutor, that taking history courses and literature courses really broadens your perspective,” Khan said. “It gives you something different to talk about during medical school interviews. Since most students have primarily studied biology, chemistry, and physics, having a background in the history and philosophy of science helps you stand out.”
While studying history and engaging in research shaped her as a researcher and a scholar, nothing pushed her boundaries more than her involvement with Comet Speech and Forensics, led by Dr. John C. Gooch, associate professor of Rhetoric and Communication Studies at the Bass School.
“I think it’s the most impactful thing I’ve been in for all of college,” Khan said. “I guess, to put it simply, it literally changed my life.”
The team specializes in various American Forensic Association (AFA) speech events, including after-dinner speaking, communication analysis, and persuasive speaking. The team also competes in a range of debate formats, including those aligned with the International Public Debate Association (IPDA), National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA), and British Parliamentary (BP).
Khan has achieved numerous accolades in speech and forensics. Notably, she secured sixth place in Interviewing at the National Speech Championship in March 2022. In April 2023, she earned the prestigious Texas Intercollegiate Forensic Association (TIFA) All-State Squad Award, recognizing her outstanding performance in forensics, academic excellence, and exemplary character. Additionally, she clinched fourth place in the Battle of Flower competition, where she delivered a compelling speech on “Old Red,” the oldest medical school building west of the Mississippi River.
From her first year to her final semester, Dr. Gooch witnessed Khan’s transformation from a successful high school speech and forensics competitor to a highly accomplished collegiate competitor. Her communication skills became more refined, enabling her to make complex thoughts accessible to audiences. She also developed a deeper sense of empathy and awareness towards her listeners, a testament to her personal growth.
“I observed Arlin grow and mature as a communicator by engaging in a higher and more sophisticated level of discourse during her collegiate career,” Dr. Gooch said. “Empathy, kindness, and, perhaps most importantly, emotional maturity are some personal qualities that make someone successful like Arlin. Intelligence, yes, but many possess intelligence while lacking those other character traits.”
Her achievements also extend internationally, with a semifinalist position in Impromptu Speaking at the International Forensics Association competition in Dublin, Ireland. She has also qualified twice for the American Forensics Association National Tournament in Impromptu Speaking (in 2023 and 2024) and once each in Informative Speaking (in 2023) and Persuasive Speaking (in 2024).
“I was someone who was very afraid of public speaking, which may seem crazy now,” she said. “That’s the main reason why I got involved in speech and debate in high school, to get over that fear of public speaking, because I knew that no matter what career I would end up at, that’s something that you just can’t avoid in the society we live in today.”
After concluding her journey at UT Dallas, where she graduated with degrees from and from, Khan is looking forward to her next academic journey – in Lubbock. This fall, she will begin her studies at Texas Tech University’s School of Medicine.
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