Tori Slowick, left, was chosen for a unique internship that led to a full-time job with HHM Health, the company owned by fellow SIU graduate Brian Hawkins. (Provided photo)
May 06, 2025
Salukis helping Salukis: SIU alum creates unique health care internship
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Brian Hawkins is the president and chief executive officer of HHM Health, a corporation with six locations in the Dallas area, but the 1991 Southern Illinois University Carbondale political science graduate hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to be a struggling student. So he’s created an exceptional financial, educational and employment opportunity for current SIU students such as graduating senior Tori Slowick.
“I absolutely cherished my time at SIU and Carbondale,” Hawkins said. “It gave me the time to study, learn and prepare for the rest of my life. I wanted to create a vehicle for students in SIU’s health care management program to get experience, so we decided to offer a new internship this academic year. Although we are far away from SIU, we wanted it to be meaningful and beneficial, so it’s a really unique internship with a special format. As our first intern, we chose Tori Slowick.”
Last fall, HHM flew Slowick, a health care management major with minors in long term care management and health information and informatics management from Sycamore, Illinois, to Dallas. In addition to paying Slowick a stipend, HHM covered costs for her transportation, lodging and all other expenses so she could spend a week immersed in HHM, learning all about the company, meeting Hawkins and members of the People and Cultures Team she would work with as well as other company leaders and employees, and getting her internship assignments.
Then, she returned to Illinois and worked remotely on projects throughout her 150-hour internship, staying in frequent contact with her team through late March. She wasn’t doing busy work, Hawkins emphasized. Her job involved working with human resources, salary planning, payroll conversion, data processing and much more.
“As I entered my internship experience, I worked on several projects, but my main focus was on recruitment,” Slowick said. “I knew I would learn a lot about different HR functions, but I never imagined getting to take the lead on the recruitment processes, screening and connecting with candidates and then deciding whether or not they get to move on to the interview phase. I screened over 30 candidates for many different positions including medical assistants, enrollment coordinators, clinic managers, dental assistants and others, scheduled more than 25 interviews and filled about 10 positions. I also created an Excel sheet to track our onboarding process, reviewed employee performance evaluations for the team to complete salary planning and worked to optimize HR metrics and reports in our workforce platform.
“By managing these projects and navigating these various dynamics, I feel like I was able to really build my interpersonal and organizational skills.”
Late in the spring semester, HHM funded a return trip for Slowick to Dallas where she wrapped up her projects and made presentations detailing her work. Hawkins, whose first student job on campus was taking out trash and helping with University Housing maintenance at Thompson Point, established the generous internship because he well remembers “as a struggling student, every dime counts.”
Making it count
Slowick was determined to make the most of the opportunity that Hawkins offered her.
She was particularly interested in the Hawkins HHM Health Internship because she wanted to learn about the various aspects of human resources, and “specifically the recruitment side of things,” she said. “One day, I would like to manage my own practice, but I recognize that I must first learn and understand what all is involved and build a strong foundation. I feel extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity.”
Throughout the last year, Slowick earned a good reputation on the People and Cultures Team, Hawkins and the rest of those she worked with.
“She is a very talented young woman,” Hawkins said. “She impressed us. That’s why we offered her a job.”
In fact, not only did Hawkins offer his fellow Saluki a job, but he and his colleagues created a people and culture generalist position.
“We developed the job for her,” Hawkins said. “We needed another person in that unit, and she really impressed us with her skillset.”
Slowick accepted the job offer on the spot and will begin her new job soon after she graduates on May 10.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled about accepting my offer and relocating to Dallas,” Slowick said. “My internship experience has given me a solid understanding of how HHM Health manages its workforce and nurtures talent, which has brought me a lot of excitement and professional development. I’m eager to focus on my new role, find learning opportunities, and when I get a chance, to travel and explore new places.
The journey to success and giving back
Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Hawkins moved to the Chicago area in the eighth grade and still considers the Bolingbrook/Chicago area “home.” He came to SIU intending to major in aviation, but budgetary considerations led him to reconsider. He went on to earn his Master of Health Administration degree in 1994 at Governors State University. His career spans nearly three decades in the health care industry, primarily in top-level positions within Veterans Affairs facilities in Maryland, Oklahoma and Washington, D.C. as well as at FHCB, a federally funded nonprofit health center in the Baltimore area.
As he watched transitions within the VA and observed the workings at FHCB, Hawkins became even more strongly convinced that “health care is a right. A lot of Americans need health care, and I wanted to take the experience I had gained in the VA to Dallas and help people. We launched Healing Hands Ministries Health, now HHM Health, in Dallas four years ago, and now we have six locations. By the end of the year, we will have eight.
“We are a federally qualified health center using an integrated health care model to provide care for the total person. People have access to family medical treatment, dental care, obstetrics, imaging, behavioral health, optometry, pharmacy and more – all in one location – and the facility has partnerships with local hospitals and facilities, allowing it to offer direct admission for surgery and treatment in a matter of minutes instead of days or longer.”
As his business grew, Hawkins realized he wanted to reconnect with his alma mater.
Paul Frazier, vice chancellor for anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion, along with other SIU officials, reached out to Hawkins, sharing information about some of the exciting and innovative things happening, including in-state tuition for out-of-state students and legacy tuition discounts for alumni children, as well as other things.
“They asked if I wanted to be a part this exciting stuff, and of course, I do,” Hawkins said. “At this point in my life, I want to get back my connection. I want to give students the opportunities they need so they can succeed. I didn’t have access to as many internship opportunities, and I want to help expand those.”
But he’s not satisfied with only establishing a unique internship. He and wife, Vercilla, also hosted a dinner during SIU’s Dallas Takeover; their family also includes adult son, Jordan, and daughter, Kennedy. He has also served on the College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council since September 2024, which makes recommendations regarding curriculum development and more. He’s also pleased to contribute to CHHS’ Incentivized Study Hour Program, developed by Dean Robert Morgan for first-year students who are academically at risk. CHHS students who log three hours of supervised study weekly are eligible for a $500 scholarship for the next semester; participants in the program have GPAs more than 12% higher than other students.
“The program is incredible,” Hawkins said.
SIU prepared student for opportunities and future
Slowick said she is grateful for the opportunities her fellow Saluki Hawkins has given her and how SIU paved her way. She said she was drawn to SIU’s campus by its “liveliness” when visiting her oldest sister, Celena Slowick, who earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees at SIU in public health. As Tori began researching SIU, she discovered the health care management program and “felt like it would be a perfect match because I knew I wanted to be in the health care field but not necessarily in a clinical setting.”
She’s enjoyed her time on campus, connecting with faculty and alumni, exploring the region, attending tailgates and football games and serving as president of the Student Healthcare Management Association. She also appreciates the flexible options SIU offered her. During her first two years, she was on campus, working three part-time jobs and going to class. She then completed her degree online while working full time as a patient services coordinator at PT Solutions Physical Therapy.
“I would say that you get out of SIU what you put into it of yourself,” Slowick said. “I’ve worked really hard to get where I am, and even though that meant working several jobs at once and having very little free time, hard work really does pay off. I took advantage of all of the available resources, including the Career Development Center, the Career Fair, student organization involvement and so much more.
“I don’t think I would have landed this wonderful internship experience had I not worked to connect with my professors and taken advantage of all the professional development opportunities.”
Expanding opportunities
The inaugural Hawkins HHM Health Internship was such a success that Hawkins has already decided to expand the internship for the 2025-26 academic year, offering two of the special internships to SIU students this fall. He is also opening the opportunity to other majors within CHHS, including nursing and radiologic sciences. For more information, contact Michael Rowell, CHHS chief academic advisor, at michael.rowell@siu.edu.
Hawkins said he’s excited to see what the future holds as he fosters future Saluki success.