The latest mural featuring notable Horned Frog alumni honoring TCU’s 150th anniversary has just been unveiled in Chicago. The new mural features four alumni who are making a difference by practicing both empathy and the skills they learned in their prior health, nursing and medical education at TCU.
Honorees include Dr. McKenna Chalman, Dr. Courtney Sullivan, Dr. Brandon Zsigray, and Emma Joy, RN. This new mural installation in her honor is 18 feet tall and 56 feet wide and is located at 1920 N Western Ave. in the Bucktown neighborhood. The mural will be on display until June, according to a statement.
“We are honored to celebrate these four outstanding Chicago alumni, plus all the Horned Frogs who are making an impact as doctors, nurses, clinicians and researchers,” says TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. “Our medical school, nursing and pre-health programs lead the way for the future of healthcare education curriculum and training.”
This medical milestone comes just after TCU recently graduated its first class of physicians from the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU last month.
“For 150 years, TCU has been developing the next generation of leaders and innovators with a focus on the common good,” says TCU President Daniel Pullin. “Our leadership in healthcare, as demonstrated by these remarkable graduates, will continue to pave the way in the medical professions, leading change in research and patient care.”
The horned frogs in the Chicago mural include:
Dr. McKenna Chalman’19, ’23
Chalman graduated from the inaugural class of TCU’s Burnett School of Medicine and is beginning his general surgery residency at Rush University in Chicago. She grew up in Yorba Linda, California, and her mother, who is a registered nurse, encouraged her to pursue medicine. Like all Burnett School of Medicine graduates, she was trained as an Empath Fellow, a caregiver who values both medical knowledge and communication and connection with patients.
“Technology advances so fast in healthcare, but treating patients compassionately and keeping them at the center of everything we do is just as important,” Chalman says. “Empathy is the foundation for connecting and building a relationship with others, and that allows us to provide the best care for our patients.”
emma joy ’21
Joy graduated from TCU Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences and is a registered nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She grew up in Southlake, Texas, and always had a desire to work with babies. She was drawn to TCU’s top-ranked nursing school and the community she felt when she walked onto campus and into the nursing school.
“It is a great honor to be able to represent not only TCU, but also Harris College and all the nurses at TCU, and to be able to share our stories. We don’t do our job to gain visibility, we do it because we really care about our patients and want to make a difference,” says Joy.
Dr Courtney Sullivan ‘17
Sullivan graduated from TCU’s College of Science and Engineering and is doing her medical residency at the University of Chicago Medicine in obstetrics and gynecology. She grew up in Lexington, South Carolina and in Flower Mound, Texas. She credits her liberal arts experiences with helping her relate to patients and see things from her point of view.
“I believe that compassionate healthcare makes people feel seen, understood and safe,” says Sullivan. “Some results are unavoidable, and as a doctor, it’s just about listening to patients and letting them feel their feelings. Being able to empathize with them in that moment and consider it from their point of view and then communicate clearly at their knowledge level is vital to patient care.”
Dr. Brandon Zsigray ’14
Zsigray graduated from TCU’s College of Science and Engineering and is completing his neurosurgery residency at Loyola Medicine. He is originally from Illinois and Texas, having grown up in St. Charles and Oak Park, Illinois, as well as Plano, Texas. Through his experiences, he believes that compassion and communication are a fundamental part of patient care.
“Being able to connect with your patients and being able to empathize with your patients is something that helps you understand what they’re going through and also helps you care for them in a way that you would and would like to be cared for. they want their family members to be taken care of,” says Zsigray.
Lead On: Celebrating 150 Years of TCU
The mural series is part of TCU’s national brand campaign supporting its 150th anniversary theme “Lead On: Celebrating 150 Years of TCU.” The first three murals in the series were unveiled in New York City, Los Angeles and Nashville and featured “Hamilton’s” John Devereaux ’12, Katherine Beattie ’08, “NCIS” producer/writer and chair athlete of wheels, and Desmond Bane ’20, NBA player for the Memphis Grizzlies and youth advocate. The final mural will debut in Fort Worth in the fall of 2023.
“This is an extraordinary moment in TCU history,” says Boschini. “We are showing the world what Horned Frogs can do when We Lead, together. Our innovative murals across the country provide us with an even greater opportunity to connect with and celebrate our powerful community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and fans. Throughout our 150th year, this campaign captures the character and tenacity of our leaders.”
