{"id":78699,"date":"2026-09-01T16:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T23:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=78699"},"modified":"2026-09-01T16:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T23:39:12","slug":"humans-of-nau-dr-mark-pico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/humans-of-nau-dr-mark-pico\/","title":{"rendered":"Humans of NAU: Dr. Mark Pico"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Mark Pico<\/span><\/b>\u00a0first came to NAU as a visitor. He appreciated the campus environment, so when the opportunity to become the medical director at Campus Health Services came up, he took the opportunity to return. Find out what drew Pico to medicine and a coincidental partnership that changed his trajectory.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What brought you to NAU?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u00a0was the environment here on campus that I experienced when visiting my wife,\u00a0who at the time was a doctoral student.\u00a0This,\u00a0combined with some leadership\u00a0opportunities,\u00a0confirmed my transition from a hospital role to the\u00a0medical\u00a0director\u00a0position at Campus Health Services.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why did you decide to become a doctor?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a first-generation student, my path to medicine meandered a bit. My father, who naturalized from Mexico to work in copper mines near Tucson, died from leukemia two weeks before I entered high school. Subsequently, I joined the workforce at 13, leaving me plenty of time to consider career types as well as my father’s care. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By my early\u00a020s, I had taken up competitive cycling as an Olympic\u00a0hopeful and dabbled in\u00a0sports\u00a0medicine classes at the University of Arizona. Gaining an understanding of human physiology in the context of cycling and reflecting on my father’s care team eventually sealed my commitment to get a degree in exercise science and enter medical school.\u00a0In a full-circle moment, during my required pre-med volunteer duties,\u00a0I eventually mentored under my father’s\u00a0oncologist,\u00a0who by then was the head of the cancer center at UA. He later wrote me a letter of\u00a0recommendation. The rest is history.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What challenges did you face throughout your education as a first-gen student, and what resources did you find to help you succeed?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My challenges as a first-gen student had many layers. First,\u00a0there was no one in my family to offer guidance during high school, let alone post-secondary education\u2014only encouragement. Secondly, at the time,\u00a0there were no\u00a0first-gen-specific resources, or\u00a0an\u00a0agency at\u00a0UA\u00a0that I recall,\u00a0in contrast to robust resources I see\u00a0now\u00a0at NAU.\u202f Thirdly, a gift as well as a challenge is that\u00a0first-gen\u00a0students tend to be scrappers and trailblazers, so we figure things out our own way. The downside cost is that we often go without help when needed or when it becomes available. Cycling taught me humility and vulnerability,\u00a0which cultivated help-seeking\u00a0from\u00a0first-gen\u00a0senior students as a resource back then.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Presently,\u00a0it’s\u00a0exciting to see support services for\u00a0first-gen students.\u00a0NAU has great resources for\u00a0these\u00a0students,\u00a0who are agents of change and fighting for their college education.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s\u00a0the most rewarding aspect of your career?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The most rewarding aspect of my career is being able to help a diverse population with a variety of needs as it relates to their health.\u00a0In spite of\u00a0the long path to get here,\u00a0I’ve\u00a0never had any regrets entering the medical field,\u00a0and\u00a0clearly,\u00a0my father’s care was an impactful influence.\u00a0It’s\u00a0that opportunity that often goes unnoticed in medicine that can be its greatest reward.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What did you want to be when you grew up?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. Terms like structural engineer, communications specialist or CEO were\u00a0bland,\u00a0lifeless terms to me. However,\u00a0I did know what doctors,\u00a0nurses\u00a0and physical therapists did\u00a0from my time as a\u00a0passive observer at the\u00a0university\u00a0hospital.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s\u00a0your favorite way to spend a day off?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My favorite way to spend time is with my family,\u00a0whereas\u00a0my favorite hobby is\u00a0pretty much anything\u00a0on two wheels.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What advice would you give students who may be struggling and aren\u2019t sure where to turn?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My advice to students who struggle is to give yourself grace, remind yourself of the successes and supports that got you to college, find mentorship,\u00a0whether official or unofficial, and take advantage of the services at NAU. Remember\u00a0that\u00a0life is a marathon, not a sprint; time is on your side, so seek help if\u00a0you’re\u00a0struggling. Always being a scrapper can take its toll,\u00a0but\u00a0it\u00a0also can be a superpower if you know your limits, support\u00a0systems\u00a0and practice self-care.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you want every student to know about Campus Health?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While you are at NAU, Campus Health is inclusive and here for your unique needs\u00a0physically\u00a0and\u00a0mentally, whether\u00a0you are\u00a0ill,\u00a0injured\u00a0or healthy.\u00a0The literature shows\u00a0first-gen\u00a0students are at\u00a0higher\u00a0risk of adverse health outcomes over their lifespan. To address your needs, not only do we have great providers, but also a lab, a physical therapist, a\u00a0nutritionist\u00a0and an\u00a0urgent\u00a0care\u00a0clinic.\u00a0As adults, the world of healthcare\u00a0awaits all of us in some form or shape\u2014it’s\u00a0better to engage and manage your health early, rather than something else later managing you.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Mark Pico\u00a0first came to NAU as a visitor. He appreciated the campus environment, so when the opportunity to become the medical director at Campus Health Services came up, he took the opportunity to return. Find out what drew Pico to medicine and a coincidental partnership that changed his trajectory.\u00a0\u00a0 What brought you to NAU?\u00a0…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2797,"featured_media":78700,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1817],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humans-of-nau"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2797"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78699"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78701,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78699\/revisions\/78701"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}