It’s not every day that a dog earns a university student ID or is routinely found in a science lab.
But Rock, a service dog for third-year pharmacy student Elizabeth Brownen, certainly has earned many firsts at UNT Health Fort Worth.
He’s the center of attention on campus, Brownen said, especially with her classmates.
“We kind of have a joke that he’s my service dog and everybody else’s emotional support dog,” Brownen said. “He’s really changed the outlook of the entire cohort, and they all absolutely love him.”
The pup’s presence, however, extends beyond hogging the spotlight. Thanks to Rock joining Brownen at the health science center, the university has become more accessible for those who have a disability. Now, accommodations that are not commonplace in the outside world are normal within UNT Health.
Brownen is the first UNT Health student to have a service dog. She hopes the changes made in her time at the Fort Worth center can become commonplace across the pharmacy space.
“I’ve seen so much success that I know that it can happen,” Brownen said. “It may be more difficult, but when is anything — when you’re disabled — easy.”
A perfect pairing
Although not her original degree, Brownen took interest in pharmacy work when she was completing her undergraduate studies at Tarleton State University.
“I really like seeing how one tiny little medication can really change your life.”
Around that time, Brownen also suffered complete hearing loss. Despite struggling with hearing since she was about 13 years old, Brownen said she woke up one morning during finals week and had no hearing in her right ear.
Brownen received a cochlear implant in 2020 and regained much of her hearing. However, the Flower Mound native still struggles with identifying the direction of sounds, so she decided to apply for a service dog. In June 2022, she was matched with Rock.
Brownen noted that it wasn’t an immediate match made in heaven.
“He’s, in the best way possible, everything I wasn’t expecting in a dog,” she said with a laugh.
But after going through team training with Rock, the connection felt true. Now, Rock continuously warns her about sounds she doesn’t pick up, from a plane flying overhead to an elevator ding in the hallway, Brownen said.
Improving accessibility
At a basic level, Brownen’s presence at UNT Health has reshaped the school.
University officials became more aware of the campus’s accessibility shortcomings and addressed them directly, Brownen said.
Simple changes — such as screening captions during lectures and fixing push button door openers — have become more common on campus.
On top of providing insights on basic accessibility, Brownen worked with the university on how best to allow Rock into clinical spaces. He now wears goggles, boots and other protective equipment in the compounding lab spaces.
“You never know that somebody’s needs are different until you experience them,” Brownen said. “That’s one of the things that a lot of people have learned from Rock and I, beyond being on campus, is how to be adaptable and how to be more accessible.”
Jennifer Fix, an associate professor at the UNT Health College of Pharmacy and one of Brownen’s teachers in lab work last year, said working with the pair was a “wonderful experience” to learn how to expand accessibility.
“It’s essential that we adapt to support all of our pharmacy students and their unique needs,” Fix said in a statement.
Evan Robinson, dean of the College of Pharmacy, said Brownen and Rock’s story is “an inspiring example of how resilience and support can help students flourish.”
Brownen and Rock’s effect on the university isn’t isolated to the College of Pharmacy. Brownen has been to the other colleges on campus to talk about service dogs within the medical ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Brownen continues to push for education in the pharmacy industry outside of UNT Health.
She’s held specialty courses for licensed pharmacists, teaching professionals in the field how to make pharmacies more accessible. She’s attended conferences to spread awareness to others in the medical education space.
The Texas State Board of Pharmacy approved Rock’s presence in pharmacies outside of sterile compounding areas. Nevertheless, Brownen said she has been denied entry to pharmacies while on rotation. Some pharmacies do not know their own protocol for service dogs, she said.
“The biggest thing that I’ve noticed with being disabled and being a service dog handler is education is probably the biggest barrier to accessibility — or lack of education, I should say,” Brownen said.
The other pharmacy students are incredibly supportive, she said.
Small acts such as transcribing a teacher’s lecture when captions aren’t working or refraining from using the handicap accessible stall in the bathroom when other options are available are important, Brownen said.
Still, the principle expression of that support is how much everyone loves Rock. And that is most obvious on his birthday: Jan. 31.
“We hold a birthday party for him every single year, especially if it falls on a school day. I’ll buy him a little cupcake, but sometimes we bring cupcakes to class for it,” Brownen said. “My friends have bought party hats and balloons for the year that he was turning — it’s really heartwarming to see everybody really excited.”
Ismael M. Belkoura is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org.
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