By Dina Weinstein

Travis Thomas originally planned to study psychology, but when he learned about a new program of study – health services  – during his freshman year at Virginia Commonwealth University, he realized how well it suited him.

“Health services students are multifaceted, and that’s the kind person I am as well,” said the Hampton native, who graduated this spring with a bachelor’s degree from VCU’s College of Health Professions. “We study the back end and background of the health care industry and systems. We’re learning not just psychology but also finance, ethics and the equitable distribution of health care – everything that we need to make health care as an industry better for all people.”

Thomas comes from a family steeped in service – his mother works in the medical technology field, and other family members serve in the military – so pursuing a degree focused on planning, directing and coordinating medical and health services felt like a strong fit. He also saw, during his high school years, how the pandemic highlighted needs related to both patient care and health care administration, such as infrastructure that supports employees.

That latter element was at the core of Thomas’ service-learning component in his degree program. He worked with the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority, developing tools to support career growth for health care professionals.

And within VCU, Thomas supported the growth of fellow students. In addition to serving as a peer academic coach through the Campus Learning Center, he was an advocate for the health sciences major. Thomas sat on the program’s advisory board and worked as a recruitment ambassador.

“I love talking about health administration – especially to anyone who is new to VCU or those who want to know more about VCU, administration or other College of Health Professions programs,” he said.

Thomas brought the same commitment to activities beyond his coursework, which includes a minor in African studies. He participated in the Developing Men of Color initiative and the TRiO support program for first-generation and low-income students. He also is part of TRiO’s McNair Scholars Program, which prepares underrepresented students for doctoral programs.

“The organizations are great – providing a visualization and focus for what is possible to do within one’s career, how we can make the largest impact and what we need to do to go beyond a bachelor’s degree and add strength and value to health care and any industry, for that matter,” Thomas said. “McNair helped me see myself obtaining not just a master’s degree but my Ph.D.”

His TRiO experiences provided big-picture perspectives in education and health. Thomas lobbied members of Congress to support TRiO funding, and he joined service-learning trips to the Dominican Republic during two spring breaks, supporting mobile medical brigades in rural areas and broadening his lens on global health.

“I think what I got out of that trip is exposure to how some other countries respond to infrastructure challenges, health and health care issues,” Thomas said. “I think it’s similar to the provision of health care in rural communities – the public need to know that they can depend on health care professionals while being proactive for themselves as well. “

Back home, his senior year at VCU has helped prepare him for the health care workforce. Thomas participated in a nine-month inclusive leadership development internship at Riverside Regional Medical Center, through which he explored health care administration, policy development, operations management and patient satisfaction.

Projects included researching and presenting actions to address nursing shortages, and helping elderly residents access personal technology in their long-term care facility.

“The experience has been amazing,” Thomas said.

Thomas now plans to pursue graduate studies while also working in the health services field, knowing that because of his time at VCU – both on campus and off – he is well prepared to do both.