Walker’s love for research a plus for medicine
by Cindy AbolePublic Relations
1999
Lifeline Foundation fellow Allyson Walker is surrounded by her cardiothoracic
surgery mentors, left to right, Dr. Bruce Elliott, Dr. Fred Crawford and
Dr. Francis Spinale.
Allyson Walker had her plans laid out when she arrived at MUSC three years ago after graduating from Duke University. She was going to be a doctor.
But a funny thing happened on the way to a career.
She fell in love with research.
“Since childhood, I always wanted to become a doctor,” she said. That, and more, will come about. She will finish her studies with a masters degree in physiology and the beginning of a medical/surgical career.
Walker follows an academic track that combines the roles of a caring physician and expert scientist in her training to become a surgeon.
Her research will add two years to her training. Her mother was not pleased at first when she heard about the extension of her education.
“In my family,” she said. “success equals a profession like a lawyer and doctor.” She grew up in a middle class family in St. Louis, Mo. Her mother is a teacher and her father is a fire captain.
“I have no delusions to having a nine-to-five life. What’s actually been the hardest for me is just deviating from the medical school academic track,” Walker said. “It was not a simple decision to just do it — taking the time off from medical school and the decision to move onto research work.”
She discovered her love for research during the summer between her freshman and sophomore years while working with Francis Spinale, M.D., Ph.D., professor of surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
“The lab experience was incredible,” she said. “It’s truly an environment of discovery. Not only was I attending classes to learn about the clinical benefits of medicine, I was also discovering the values of research as it affects these clinical efforts.”
Walker’s initial lab experience allowed her to seriously consider additional study toward an additional degree. Her biggest challenge was her decision to pursue a master's or doctorate in physiology.
“I’m not interested in pursuing an academic career or full-time research. Although I love research, I want to pursue my ultimate goal of becoming a surgeon and still have the ability to understand the scientific reasons for why things work or don’t work,” Walker said. “I like what I’m doing way too much to just drop it out of my life.”
Her work in Spinale’s lab has already yielded national interest. Next month, Walker will co-present an abstract at the nationally-recognized meeting of the American Heart Association on endothelin research with Adivye Ergul, Ph.D., Department of Surgery.
This past spring, Walker was awarded the Lifeline Foundation’s Student Research Fellowship to conduct scientific studies in cardiovascular research. Each year, the foundation presents this award nationally to 20 men and women. The Lifeline Foundation is sponsored by the Society for Vascular Surgery and the North American Chapter of the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery.
Her bid for the Lifeline Fellowship was sponsored by Bruce Elliott, M.D., professor, Department of Surgery and member of the Society for Vascular Surgery. She follows previous Lifetime Foundation fellow and surgical resident Monty Cox, M.D. who worked in Spinale’s lab in 1992.
The fellowship will allow Walker to conduct research within a 12-month period. She will earn a $2,000 stipend for her work. Upon completion of her research, she will submit a final report to Elliott and present her findings at the foundation’s annual meeting.
Walker’s talents have won several other fellowships, including the National Medical Fellowship in Academic Medicine for Minority Students sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb and the Novartis Fellowship in Cardiovascular and Clinical Research.
“Many medical students are hesitant to learn outside their standard curriculum,” Walker said. “What they don’t realize is that research provides a benchmark to discoveries. Students can experience much more of medical school through research than what their exposed to within the standard four years.”
Within MUSC’s program and other surgical resident programs, students are required to conduct about one year of research. According to Walker, surgery is an extension of continuing cardiac research.
“Individuals who choose a career in academic medicine which includes research must accept a challenging and, at times, very difficult course,” Spinale said. “Medical research is exciting, but is also accompanied by failures and frustrations. Over time, individuals such as myself can become tired of the obstacles, challenges and failures that we face each day in medical research, particularly research which we hope will treat devastating diseases such as heart failure. The participation of medical students in these research activities keeps you energized and reminds us all of why we chose academic medical careers.”
Throughout her research experience, Walker says that her most valuable lessons have been the ability to think differently and her approach to deciphering problems that’s different from what she’s learned in medical school.
“Allyson is a fine example of a hard working student and researcher,” said Fred A. Crawford, M.D., chairman of MUSC’s Department of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief, and head of Cardiothoracic Surgery Division. “It’s clear that Dr. Spinale’s lab is a valuable scientific resource that is necessary within our clinical and academic environment.”