Students Plan PNWU Hot Ones Event, Interviewing Faculty Over Intensifying Spicy Wings
At PNWU, our faculty’s commitment to students famously extends far beyond the classroom. On Friday, September 23, that dedication journeys into an unfounded territory, reaching the very tastebuds of those educating our next generation of healthcare providers.
The SGA invites you to tune into PNWU’s first-ever rendition of “Hot Ones.” Following the style of the popular internet show, which features celebrity interviews set over a platter of increasingly spicy chicken wings, PNWU’s version of Hot Ones will feature a brave collection of esteemed faculty volunteers.
“I’ve always been a fan of the show,” explained PNWU Student Doctor Rachel Stout, OMS II, 2Lt USAF. As PNWU-COM Class of 2025’s vice president of student affairs, Student Doctor Stout thought Hot Ones’ template might offer an exciting chance for students and faculty to interact. After brainstorming logistics with some classmates, the idea became plausible, and Stout sent an email.
The faculty recipients, she laughed, were surprisingly enthusiastic.
“We hope this boosts school morale and gives the students an opportunity to get to know faculty members,” explained Stout.
“I love the Hot Ones series on YouTube, so I was all in for a chance to run the spice gauntlet,” explained Katheryn D. Hudon, DO, FAAP, FACOP, PNWU’s Division Chief of Pediatrics, who quickly signed on to eat ever-intensifying sauces over a series of student-led questioning. “I’m only pretty okay with spice and expect the wheels to come off around sauce number five.”
“My confidence level going into the event is pretty high,” said Dr. Janelle Mapes, associate professor of anatomy and assistant director of PNWU’s research laboratory. “I follow through when I set my mind to things, so I’ll finish all the wings, but I know my body will suffer for it (in more ways than one).”
In the end, Dr. Hudon explained, PNWU faculty participants hope their not-a-chicken approach to consuming hot chicken offers students an opportunity to relax, spend time with each other outside of class, and “enjoy watching some of the faculty sweat.”
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Fellow inferno-faring faculty member Brad Callan, PT, PhD, OCS, FAAOMPT, joined us in advance of his Hot Ones interview. Dr. Callan joined our DPT program after working in an outpatient setting for over 20 years in urban and rural environments with a primary focus on back and neck pain.
Paul Bubluski, PNWU PR Director: How did you learn of this opportunity, what was your initial reaction, and what inspired you to participate?
Dr. Brad Callan, Assistant Professor of DPT: Someone reached out asking for us to have a representative from the School of PT, no one else would do it, and other faculty members threw me under the bus.
So, I guess I am in.
How are you feeling going into this unusual event?
I have mixed feelings. I love chicken wings, but I’m not a big fan of burning my tastebuds.
We will see how it turns out.
What is your tolerance level for spicy food? How do you think this is going to go?
I enjoy spicy foods as much as the next person, but I am not a masochist. I know nothing about the dietary habits of the other competitors.
As for how it goes: I think that depends on how you define success; even if you “win,” you very well could lose – your tastebuds, or even a night of sleep, depending on how you tolerate the stuff.
Through spice-induced tears and milk lapping, what do you hope this all goes on to accomplish?
The students see faculty as people who try to have fun, albeit in weird ways sometimes… and that we are approachable.