The Best Advice

Why Dr. Justin McCaslin Will Never Stop Learning

Upon graduating from The University of Texas at Tyler in 2010, one of Justin McCaslin's professors said something to him that has stuck with him and encourages him to this day.

“Dr. Neil Grey, my organic chemistry professor, told us that our degrees give us permission to continue learning, that we should never stop learning, and that's really inspired me to continue my education and push myself more throughout my career.”

After finishing the pre-med program at UT Tyler, McCaslin moved to Dallas to attend The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School where he graduated in 2014, and then began an internship in Internal Medicine at Baylor University Medical Center. McCaslin credits UT Tyler's high-quality professors for equipping him to handle the rigors of medical school.

“UT Tyler prepared and shaped me more than I can express. My four years there were much more conceptually difficult than anything in medical school, and in some ways more rewarding,” said McCaslin. “I can say, without reservation, that my education was as good, if not better, than most of my medical school classmates who graduated from elite prep schools and Ivy League institutions.”

It wasn't just the caliber of the professors, courses and program that helped McCaslin succeed, but the small class sizes played a big role as well.

“The close-knit environment of the chemistry department and direct faculty-to-student interactions were crucial for me and a large part of what made my educational experience at UT Tyler an enormously positive one,” he said.

McCaslin is in his last year of residency at Baylor University Medical Center, where he is currently a diagnostic radiologist and spends his days reading and interpreting all types of diagnostic imaging exams, including X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds and nuclear medicine. He is also in the middle of a fellowship in Interventional Radiology at Baylor, where he is learning to perform a wide variety of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. He recently signed a contract to begin working with American Radiology Associates in 2020.