Meet Our Leaders - Dr. Jeffrey Eggleston - Director, IHS PhD Program

In this series, the College of Health Sciences shares the personal stories of the leadership of our academic departments and programs, including their transition into higher education and lessons learned along their educational pathway.

Dr. Jeffrey Eggleston is the director of the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences PhD Program, director of the Stanley E. Fulton Gait Research & Movement Analysis Lab, and an assistant professor of Kinesiology in the College of Health Sciences. Dr. Eggleston completed his PhD at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, with a focus in biomechanics.

Are you a first-generation college graduate?
Not really, but sort of. My parents didn’t go to college and neither did my grandparents, but both of my older siblings and other extended family did.

Did your parents/family discuss higher education within your home? If not, please share how you were inspired to pursue a college degree and go on to graduate school.
We talked about higher education, but it was mostly because that’s “just what you were supposed to do.” Since my older brother went to college, he and I talked about it quite a bit.

Did you receive financial aid and/or scholarships to assist with tuition expenses?
Yes! I didn’t receive much in terms of scholarships, but I received a large amount of financial aid (and loans) for tuition.

What do you recall about your first day in college?
Not very much. I went to a very small school (about 5,000 students), so I was not intimidated. Looking back, I was definitely overconfident, but that ended quickly with my first biology class.

Please share one of the greatest challenges you experienced while in school and what you did to overcome it.
My undergraduate experience was pretty uneventful. The greatest challenge I faced was spending enough time on my course work. I spent a lot more time having fun and not being dedicated enough to the work I needed to do. This caused me to lose the one scholarship I had (and forced me to take out more loans) and to be placed on academic probation. Thankfully, I was able to stop doing that and learn how to be a college student so I could succeed.

What is your favorite memory of your time in college?
For the most part, college was a blast, and I made some great friends. My favorite memory was a road trip my friends and I took to Seattle, Washington. We went to a Seattle Mariners baseball game and explored the city.

If you could go back in time to deliver a message to your younger self, what would you say?
“Don’t worry, you won’t ever know everything nor will you be good at everything; just be you and do what you can.”

Please share something interesting or funny about yourself that you would like students to know.

I was studying in the cadaver room (which was in the basement of the biology building) my sophomore year with a friend. All of a sudden, the lights went out, and the electronic lock on the door wouldn’t let us out…I’ve never been more creeped out and freaked out in my life!

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For more information about the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences PhD Program, please visit: www.utep.edu/chs/ihs/.

Go Miners!