News from The Mahurin Honors College

Brooke Beck from Franklin, TN, is a determined and creative student set to graduate from WKU’s Dental Hygiene program in May 2025. Her journey to this point has been shaped by resilience and a passion for both helping others and expressing herself through art. 

Though unfamiliar with WKU at first before starting her first degree, Brooke was drawn to the campus after a visit. “The campus was beautiful, there was a heart in the clouds, it felt good, and so I said this is where I want to go.” Originally earning a Bachelor of Science in psychological sciences, with minors in neuroscience and studio art in 2019, Brooke transitioned from retail management into the field of dental assisting after losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic.  She found the dental field appealing because “that’s helping people, which is what I've always wanted out of a career and it seemed like a good work-life balance, and I loved it from day one of training.”

After five years as an expanded functions dental assistant, she decided to pursue a second degree at WKU in Fall 2023 semester, drawn to the university's reputable program in dental hygiene in the College of Health and Human Services, and “to maximize my return to school” she chose to be in honors and to complete a thesis as part of her honors experience.  

Currently, Brooke is completing an honors thesis that explores the link between oral health and its effects on psychological wellbeing. While research often suggests a linear relationship where mental health only affects oral health, Brooke is curious about how the two areas influence each other. She’s conducting a systematic review, combining traditionally mutually exclusive realms of research, and examining the bidirectional relationship between oral and mental health. 

“There’s actually so much there when you look at inflammation, the stress response, and biochemical signalers, and how periodontal pathogens migrate in the body. So doing something as simple as taking good care of one’s oral health could impact them positively not only through biological means but also improving resilience by self-care.” 

Her goal is to raise awareness of the effects of good oral hygiene and encourage interprofessional collaboration: “Maybe mental health professionals can be screening and recommending dental care, maybe we [dental professionals] could be screening and recommending mental health care at regular visits.” She humorously reminds everyone not to underestimate the power of flossing, underscoring the holistic nature of health. 

Brooke’s dedication to research began during her first degree, where she conducted independent studies on risk behavior interactions that predict suicide risk and even presented in a podium session at the American Association of Suicidology, which will now be published on the WKU database as well. Again, under the mentorship of Dr. Amy Brausch, and adding Dr. Terry Dean as first author, she’s applying her skills to her honors thesis. With their guidance, Brooke aims to make her work accessible to a broad audience and will defend her thesis in spring 2025. 

Brooke says that seeing the real-world impact of her research and clinical services on patients has been most rewarding, “I want to be able to see the impact and apply it hands-on.” Outside of her academic work, she continues to nurture her passion for art. Studio art, her minor, remains an important outlet for her, and she’s set to participate in an upcoming alumni show. 

As she prepares for graduation, Brooke Beck is not only making strides in both fields but also showing how art and science can come together to create meaningful, holistic contributions in people’s lives.