52 | FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE When you donate to Jewish Family & Children's Service through the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit, you're changing lives by providing behavioral health, healthcare and social services to people right here in Maricopa County. Plus, you'll get your donation amount back in your state taxes (up to $938), either as a deduction to your liability or an increase to your refund. Visit jfcsaz.org/taxcredit to donate today!

FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 53 6 A.M. >> STRETCHING LEGS + MIND After my alarm goes off, I quickly look at my phone for any issues I need to address because our main campus is based in Omaha, and they’ve gotten a head start on the day. I do stretches and grind coffee beans for a double-shot espresso. I then head out on a 45-minute walk through the neighborhood while I listen to an audiobook. So far this year, I have completed 32 titles. I love listening to narrative and creative nonfiction writing and historical texts. Right now, I’m listening to a book on the history of medicine and inventions, and how insulin came about and the drama and story behind the discovery and production of penicillin. These are the kinds of things I get really excited about and maybe a little too nerdy. 8 A.M. >> IN SERVICE OF COMMUNITY My workday often begins with a meeting focused on how we support, from a fundraising and government relations standpoint, the mission of the institution to educate and produce future clinicians and leaders in healthcare. Creighton came to Arizona almost 18 years ago and then formed a comprehensive health sciences campus four years ago to serve a concerning need — Arizona does not rank well in the number of healthcare practitioners per capita. The retention of residents who complete their training is approximately 70 percent and about average across the nation. Physicians typically stay where they’ve trained, which is a big win for our community. 10:30 A.M. >> COLLECTIVE VALUE Community engagement is another focus of my work. This includes taking this wonky health sciences stuff and making it accessible to the rest of the community. It can be as simple as saying let’s have a partnership with another organization or health science educator in town and produce a viewing of a documentary, have a conference together, or collaborate on an art installation that has a tangible activity connected to it. It might happen on a First Friday, when we make space accessible where people already are. We’re contributing value to an already valuable community asset. We continue to build partnerships not only with our partner hospitals but dozens of other community health leaders, including our partners at St. Vincent de Paul. This is where all our students start their clinical learning while serving the most underserved in our community. AS TOLD TO JULIE COLEMAN Assistant VP & associate professor at Creighton University Health Sciences Campus A Day With MICHAEL ZIRULNIK, PH.D. OFFICE DOORS