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At the Heart of Learning
Program gives college students a glimpse of cardiology specialties
Donor Ralph Lunsford, left, has
established
an endowment to support
an externship
originated by Richard
Smalling, M.D., Ph.D. Photos by
Meredith Raine
For Rice University senior Joey Brinkley, the highlight of his summer occurred in an operating room at Memorial Hermann Hospital. As a participant in the Mary Ann Lunsford Student Summer Externship in Cardiovascular Medicine, Brinkley observed a surgeon at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston fix a man’s aortic aneurysm.
On this day, he was allowed to do more than just watch. He got to scrub in and touch the patient’s heart. “It was amazing,” said Brinkley, 21.
The purpose of the six-week externship, which Richard W. Smalling, M.D., Ph.D., established more than five years ago, is to provide qualified undergraduate students with a broad introduction to cardiovascular medicine. Every summer, four college juniors get indepth exposure to all aspects of the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart disease, including anatomy, surgery, intensive care, rehabilitation, catheterization and cardiovascular testing.
The ultimate goal is to reinforce each student’s goal of a career in medicine. It also is a tool for recruiting the best and the brightest to the Medical School, and externs get an opportunity to meet with administrators in the Office of Admissions.
Recently retired Beaumont engineer Ralph Lunsford established a $50,000 endowment in memory of his late wife to support the endeavor. This is the first time the program has been almost entirely funded by a private donation.
Smalling, interim chairman of the Division of Cardiology and the Jay Brent Sterling Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, was one of Mrs. Lunsford’s physicians. While she was in his care, she expressed an interest in funding a scholarship for students who are training to become cardiologists. Her husband said the externship endowment closely mirrors her wishes.
“When my wife was ill, Dr. Smalling took excellent care of her,” Mr. Lunsford said. “He was the most caring of any doctor she saw. After she passed away in February 2001, I wanted to help in any way I could. This program sounded like a great opportunity for college students, and I wanted to support that.” The endowment provides each student with a $1,000 stipend.
Richard Smalling, M.D., Ph.D., left, originator of a summer externship in cardiovascular medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston, talks with students Emily Moglovkin and Joey Brinkley on Grand Rounds at Memorial Hermann Hospital. At right is resident Alexis Woods, M.D.
Smalling said the externship is highly competitive. Every year, 40 to 60 students apply for the four available slots. “Eventually we would like to add one or two more slots into the rotation,” he said. “The externship allows students to see the continuum of life. Plus, they get to meet a lot of doctors and see what the practice of medicine is all about.”
Emily Moglovkin, one of this year’s externs, said the appeal of the Medical School program is that, unlike many summer programs at medical institutions, it was not entirely researched-based. There are opportunities to interact with patients and get a real feel for what it is like to be a physician.
“That’s been my favorite part – being with the patients,” said Moglovkin, a Bellaire native who is a pre-med student at UT-Austin. “We got to listen to heart murmurs and talk to the patients. It was really a wonderful experience.”
Craig Cook, a Temple native who was an extern this summer, said the externship solidified his decision to become a specialist in cardiovascular medicine. “I learned a great deal about cardiovascular medicine and good medicine in general,” Cook said. “The highlight for me was surgery. I loved just standing back and watching the surgeons work.”
Cook said got a lesson in bedside manners during grand rounds and saw firsthand how physicians should care for and interact with their patients. “I absolutely love the university, the students, Dr. Smalling and the other faculty members,” Cook said. “They are great teachers, and I would feel privileged to be under their tutelage.”
Stanley Schultz, M.D., interim dean of the Medical School, thanked Mr. Lunsford and applauded Smalling for directing a program that has such a positive impact on students who are considering careers in medicine. “This truly is a wonderful program, and we need more like it,” Schultz said.
— By Meredith Raine, Public Affairs