Claire Phoneprasert Wins the Gilman Award

Whether serving as a member of the Carnegie Mellon University Emergency Medical Services (CMU EMS) or helping as a teaching assistant in an undergraduate biological sciences lab, Claire Phoneprasert wants to help others.

"Both of these experiences really taught me that I wanted to help people," said Phoneprasert, a recent neurobiology graduate. "I really felt like part of the community."

Phoneprasert joined CMU EMS in August 2022 as she considered a career in medicine. She said she used it as a test to see if medicine would be a good fit.

"I was initially concerned. Would I able to see injuries and be able to respond well?" Phoneprasert said. "I learned the value of having a good bedside manner and how it is important to treat both the physical and emotional needs of patients. More generally, I learned the impact that kindness and compassion can have on people."

Along with being a member of CMU EMS, Phoneprasert was part of the CMU Health Professions Program (HPP).

Phoneprasert said that some of her most meaningful experiences were as a teaching assistant and a supplemental instructor for a range of courses covering biology and psychology. She started serving as a teaching assistant in her junior year, and she continued until graduation.

"The Department of Biological Sciences is amazing, and they do a really great job of making sure everyone in class feels supported," Phoneprasert said. "I had a really great experience in my bio labs, and it felt really gratifying to come back and make an impact as a TA."

One of the classes Phoneprasert served as a teaching assistant for was frontiers, analysis and discovery in biological sciences (FADS), a first-year elective laboratory course. There, she guided first-year students through a range of experiments. Amanda Willard, assistant teaching professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Biological Sciences, co-taught the course. She said that Phoneprasert was a positive influence on the other students.

"She was a phenomenal mentor to first-year students, exuding optimism in all her interactions, providing clear direction, and asking guiding questions to help gauge where students were at and then helping lead them to the answer they needed," Willard said. "During any downtime in lab, she could frequently be seen getting to know students on a more personal level asking them about their likes and dislikes and providing them with valuable advice based on her own experiences as a CMU student."

For her efforts, Phoneprasert earned the 2024 Mellon College of Science Gilman Award. This award is given to a graduating MCS student who has demonstrated exceptional commitment as a scholar, professional, citizen and person.

"Claire displays seemingly endless amounts of positive energy which she consistently channels to create a welcoming and inclusive learning environment for all those around her," Willard said. "She shares her passion for learning with those around her and consistently devotes time to supporting her peers and community."

Phoneprasert plans to spend the next year applying for medical school, which she plans to attend in fall 2025. She wants to bring the same positive, kind attitude she used in the classroom and as an EMT to her future patients.

"The biggest thing I try to bring to all the things I'm involved in is a positive attitude," Phoneprasert said. "I feel like that's really impactful when you're working with other students or patients."