Week 1: Introduction

Hello class! My name is Cody Whatley. I'm a Junior at the University of Oklahoma studying chemical biosciences. My hope is to use this undergraduate degree to apply for medical school. Pursuing a career in medicine has meant that my college career so far has been filled with science classes; General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physical Chemistry, Biology, Physiology and more! Right now I'm Organic Chemistry Lab, Principles of Physiology, Physics II Lab, Intermediate Spanish, and of course Mythology and Folklore.

In my free time, I volunteer at a small free clinic in eastern Edmond off of I-35. Most of my time here is spent filing charts, handling faxes, and receiving test results, but when things are slow I get to shadow our volunteer physicians and help with patient care. I also like to read books and watch T.V. My favorite show would have to be either Hannibal or Game of Thrones. True Detective comes close but I'll have to see how next season goes!

I also work for the Oklahoma Blood Institute as the mobile supply clerk. This mostly entails working alone at night making sure all the trucks are supplied with the appropriate equipment to go out the following day and perform blood drives all over the state. I also have to maintain supply levels in our stock room to ensure we have enough of all the equipment to meet the weekly donation projections.  For a shameless plug here, if you haven't already donated blood in the last 56 days, donate! Also check out our Marrow Donor Program. Marrow donation can now be painlessly and without having to be sedated through peripheral blood stem cell collection, a process which is very similar to a blood donation. Taking marrow from the pelvic bone is no longer the only option, and you could save someones life!

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)