Hi, I am Parker!

The path to where I am today has been anything but linear. And I am sure the path in front of me will be nothing but the same. I have learned more from my failures than I have from any of my successes. Since I was a kid, I have struggled to sit still and to stick to one thought or idea. Having what my dad liked to call the curiosity bug. Whether it was playing sports, drawing, teaching myself to play the guitar, or exploring other countries, I loved it all. Once my mind is attached to an idea, it won’t let it go until I see it through.

For this reason, I have developed a diverse range of skills and experiences through exploration and self-teaching. Whether that is learning about Spain’s healthcare system while getting injured at the running of the bulls, or studying the social hierarchy of bats, each experience is unique and has fed my curiosity.

I now find myself part of the MA in Design Focused on Health program at UT Austin, where I hope to apply my problem-solving skills and experience to develop solutions that lead to healthier lives.

Before grad school, I studied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago on the premed track. During that same time, I worked a variety of jobs, including as a car mechanic, accountant, and neuroethology research assistant.

Take a look below for my experiences and adventures

Running of the Bulls at the Festival of San Fermín 2024

Running of the Bulls at the Festival of San Fermín 2024

The time when I learned how to be the sound guy in a short film

The time when I learned how to be the sound guy in a short film

Hiking along cliffs in Ireland

Hiking along cliffs in Ireland

Sleeping in a train station in Geneva, Switzerland

Sleeping in a train station in Geneva, Switzerland

Rebuilding a guitar

Rebuilding a guitar

Meeting friends at a surf hostel in Jaco, Costa Rica

Meeting friends at a surf hostel in Jaco, Costa Rica

A quick doodle

A quick doodle

Education

  • Master of Arts in Design (Concentration: Design Focused on Health)

    • Bachelor of Science in Integrated Health Studies (Concentration: Health & Science)

    • Studied abroad Summer 2024 at DIS in Copenhagen, Denmark

    • Honors: Highest Departmental Distinction, summa cum laude (GPA: 3.97/4.0)

Work Experience

  • •  Interviewing simulation educators and facility managers to identify design opportunities for adaptive spaces

    •  Synthesizing qualitative research to inform the design of adaptive medical simulation environments

    • Contributed to animal behavioral and neuroethological research through independent problem solving, data analysis, and

      computational tool development

    • Designed and built a Python program to visualize bat flight patterns, supporting behavioral analysis and experimental

      interpretation

    • Developed automated tracking and instance-counting workflows using DeepSORT, creating tools that were adopted by

      graduate students and remain in active use after my departure

    • Worked with a high degree of autonomy, identifying technical gaps in research workflows and proposing solutions aligned

      with lab needs

    • Conducted field research on smallmouth and largemouth bass populations to assess whether fishing pressure affected nest

      size and development

    • Collected longitudinal data by snorkeling lake transects during spawning season, documenting nest size, depth, development

      stage, and bass presence

    • Contributed data to multi-year comparative analyses under supervision of biologists from the University of Illinois and

      College of DuPage

    • Built wooden pathways, created man-made trout hiding structures, and cleared shrubbery as part of hands-on habitat

      restoration efforts

    • Diagnosed and serviced mechanical systems across a wide range of vehicles in a fast-paced dealership environment

    • Trusted as a “speed technician,” handling time-sensitive diagnostics and repairs requiring rapid problem identification and

      execution

    • Led the installation and implementation of a dealership-wide security camera system, coordinating physical setup, system

      configuration, and testing

Special Skills

  • Experience the following 3-D modeling software’s:

    • Fusion 360

    • Rhino

    • Revit

    • Blender

    • 3D Printing

    • Physical prototyping & fabrication

    • Illustrator

    • InDesign

    • Photoshop

    • Premiere Pro