 Dr. Rusty Linton ('80), an orthopedic surgeon in Columbus, also is the team orthopedic surgeon for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. |
The physicians who attended Mississippi State as undergraduates may have started out, like Linton, with an early knowledge that they wanted to practice medicine. Some say they arrived at the realization only when they began medical school. "I think I'm going to like this," one recalls of his medical school experience.
 Dr. David Irwin Jr. ('72), a Tupelo cardiologist, believes in a broad-based education for medical students. |
The medical school connection
Linton and Irwin are among hundreds of physicians around Mississippi and the world whose careers began as undergraduates at Mississippi State. Like Linton, a biochemistry major, most enrolled in a pre-med curriculum that focused on science. But philosophy majors, soil science majors, and students from at least 27 other majors have gone on to seek careers as physicians, said Dr. Tom Morrow, a 26-year veteran of Mississippi State's biological sciences department and pre-med adviser.
"It's impossible to say there's a 'typical' pre-med major," he said. For all students in pre-med, the curriculum focuses on admission requirements for various medical schools. "The University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson requires a minimum of 90 hours and some 50 to 60 hours of specific courses," he explained, "but for each medical school the requirements are slightly different.
"All are looking for students with good foundations, and they want to see that the student is well-rounded."
For the past two years, approximately one-quarter of the students accepted by the University of Mississippi School of Medicine were graduates of Mississippi State. In 1993, 22 of the 100 students accepted by UMC were MSU graduates—more than any other Mississippi college or university. In 1994, of the 24 students who were accepted to medical schools, 17 enrolled at UMC.
UMC receives approximately 325 to 375 applications each year, or three to four applications for each available slot, Morrow said. Students also have been accepted at medical schools around the country, including Johns Hopkins, Tulane, Emory, Duke, Vanderbilt, and Iowa. In addition, a number of out-of-state students return home to their state university medical schools. "I think our success rate shows that Mississippi State University has a viable and strong pre-med program," said Morrow.
Former students attest to the success of their undergraduate preparation. "From a science standpoint especially, we had outstanding preparation," said Irwin. "Our histology, embryology, and comparative anatomy classes were so good at Mississippi State that when we got to medical school it was almost like taking the same class again."
Irwin, a 1975 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, returned to that school in 1984 for a one-year fellowship in cardiology. He also studied internal medicine at Ochsner Foundation Hospital in New Orleans. He is associated with the Cardiology Group, IMA Foundation in Tupelo. He returns to campus periodically as an Alumni Fellow for the College of Arts and Sciences.
Like many physicians with MSU ties, Irwin remembers more about his classes than the labs and the long hours. "I remember one calculus class in particular taught by Mrs. Armstrong," he said. "I earned a 66 on a test and gave no wrong answers." The problem? Irwin's lines weren't straight enough.
"It was the first—and the best—experience I had with problem-solving," Irwin recalls. "She influenced the way I problem-solve in general. I hated the course while I was taking it, but when it was all over, I wanted to take it again."
 Dr. Richard Holmes ('72), an emergency room physician from Birmingham, was the first African-American student at Mississippi State. |
"It was a positive experience to be the first black student at Mississippi State," says Holmes. "It made me test myself. Mississippi State not only gave me the background, but it prepared me for the world." The Holmes Cultural Diversity Center was named for Holmes in 1991.
Holmes, who attended medical school at Michigan State University, says that he frequently recommends Mississippi State to students who ask him about an undergraduate institution. "I know that Mississippi State has a very strong science curriculum," he said. "The university will prepare you to go to medical school anywhere—whether it's Harvard or Yale or the University of Mississippi."
Holmes is particularly proud that his daughter, Rikeeda, has entered Mississippi State this fall as a freshman. "I didn't try to sway her," he said. "I love the institution dearly, and I'm honored that she wanted to attend. My son is 12 and for a while insisted he wanted to attend the Air Force Academy. Now he's talking about Mississippi State. If he comes to the university, the circle will be complete."
Another father, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, is proud of the fact that both he and his son attended Mississippi State University.
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| Dr. William C. Warner Sr. ('38) of Jackson, former orthopedic surgeon for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, influenced his son, Dr. William C. Warner Jr. ('79), a specialist in pediatric orthopedics at Campbell's Clinic and LeBonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis. | |
His longtime affiliation with sports medicine earned him a spot in the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame last summer. And it influenced a second generation of orthopedic surgeons when son William Jr. (class of 1979) followed in his dad's footsteps.
"I knew I had an interest in orthopedic medicine because I watched my dad take care of football players, and I watched them get better," the younger Warner recalls. "And because my dad had such a love for Mississippi State, I didn't think there was any other school to attend."
When the younger Warner did a residency at Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tenn., he learned that he had a special affinity for children's orthopedics. Now on the staff of Campbell's and LeBonheur Children's Hospital, he specializes in pediatric orthopedics, focusing on children's orthopedic congenital deformities and spinal deformities.
Both Warners graduated from Tulane University Medical School.
 Family practitioner Dr. Sue Simmons ('72) is the only doctor in Maben, a Webster County community of 900. |
She earned 12 hours of academic credit, and she found a university home. "I had some very good professors," she said. "Dr. Tom Morrow in particular was encouraging and was always there to push. He had high expectations."
At Mississippi State, Simmons she laid the foundation for her medical school success. When she entered the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in 1972, she was 19 years old. "I was one of 10 females in my class, and I finished in the top one-third of the class as a whole," she said.
Today, she is the only doctor in Maben, a Webster County community of 900 residents. She also may be one of the few female doctors in Mississippi who hold a law degree as well. "I like the practice of medicine because you develop ongoing relationships with people," she said. "Law is not nearly as much fun."
Like Simmons, Dr. Michael R. O'Neal Jr. (class of 1971), a family practitioner in Purvis, says that Mississippi State greatly influenced his career choices.
"I decided during my second year of medical school at the University of Mississippi that I would go into family medicine—because of the need and because I wanted to be involved in the community. I think Mississippi State had a lot to do with that. Mississippi State is such a people-oriented campus."
For O'Neal, Mississippi State also was a family tradition. "My dad, a retired doctor, was an MSU graduate. When I arrived, my brother was already there. Five of us ended up going to Mississippi State."
A demanding but rewarding career
From the state's rural hamlets to villages halfway around the world, physicians who began their careers at Mississippi State list "people" as the number one reason they enjoy the practice of medicine.
O'Neal has worked in remote areas of the United States and other countries. He practiced in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky for five years and, through the United Methodist Church, he has made mission trips since the 1970s to remote areas of Bolivia. "We spend about 10 days in the Andes and set up clinics in different villages each day," he said.
Whatever the location, he says the challenge of modern medicine is to make it work for people. "I've worked in all kinds of settings where I have to be innovative and flexible in the way I practice—whether it's making medical care accessible to people where they need it, or whether it's trying to educate people. We do a lot of health and preventive education. That has to change according to the community I'm in."
Dr. William Warner Sr., who is in private practice and who serves as medical director of HealthSouth Rehabilitation Center in Jackson and as a clinical instructor at UMC, believes that one of the great rewards of his productive career has been the ability to reach people. "I've operated on Bob Tyler and on great players such as Johnie Cooks," he recalls. "But whoever the patient is, the reward for a physician is to see improvement. Patients really appreciate your help."
Dr. Rusty Linton, orthopedic surgeon for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, says that he, too, feels a great satisfaction is seeing an injured player recover.
"There's a great reward in helping someone else fulfill their goals," he says. "I operated on Kevin Bouie, and I was thrilled that he scored three touchdowns his first game back after surgery."
An additional challenge, Linton believes, is to go even a step further in trying to prevent injuries. "Sports medicine is a changing field. There's new knowledge nearly every day. I try to keep current with changes and to anticipate. We would wish that we could prevent injuries entirely—to take the steps that keep players from having the kinds of injuries that stop careers."
For pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. William Warner Jr., the thrill is seeing a child get back on his feet. In addition to his duties at Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Warner also is chief of orthopedics for the Mississippi Crippled Children's Service, the state's program for indigent children. Through this program, he sees about 20 patients a week. "I really like working with children," he says, "and I especially like seeing them get better."
For Dr. Sue Simmons, one of the advantages of small-town practice is being able to spend time to get to know her patients and their problems.
"An 84-year-old lady came in complaining that she couldn't sleep," she recalled. "I spent some time talking with her and discovered that she couldn't sleep because she had shortness of breath. The reason she was short of breath is that she was in the early stages of congestive heart failure.
"If you get to know your patients, usually you discover what's finally wrong with them. I especially like my older patients because they need the care and because they have so much wisdom."
Emergency room physician Dr. Richard Holmes, on the other hand, likes trauma medicine because he is able to see the results of his efforts immediately.
"If a child comes in with a fever of 104 degrees, you're able to see the results in 30 minutes or an hour. In most cases, you can transform an unhappy child into a healthy child.
"In my profession we also see a lot of car wrecks and gunshot wounds, and I can make a difference there in stabilizing the patient. In trauma medicine, the first hour is the most critical hour. I may send the patient to a cardiovascular surgeon or a neurosurgeon, but if the patient has not been handled well in the first hour, it's academic who sees them later. That's my reward and my challenge—to make a difference in that first hour."
For students now studying at Mississippi State, doctors say that the undergraduate experience can make a critical difference in a student's success in medicine.
"I think one of the mistakes pre-med students make is asking, 'What does this have to do with the practice of medicine?'" said Dr. David Irwin of Tupelo. "If I had to offer advice, it would be to learn as much as you possibly can about as much as you possibly can. No one subject is more important or less important than another."
That's advice Dr. Sue Simmons of Maben seconds. "The background you get will truly prepare you for medical school," she advises. "Don't study just for the grades. Learn as much as you can while you're there."
Dr. Tom Morrow, who has observed students for 34 years, believes that many of the qualities that make a good student also make a good doctor. "I think important qualities are a real desire to learn and a curiosity about expanding their knowledge. It's also important to have a desire to continue learning." Other qualities, he believes, are a love of people and the ability to be a leader.
For those who decide to pursue medicine, the doctors say, the rewards are found in every encounter with suffering.
"When I was small, I saw doctors treat my grandmother, who had cancer," recalls Dr. Richard Holmes. "I watched Starkville physician Dr. Douglas Connor with patients. And I realized the value of medicine and the passion that some doctors have to treat patients. That's the ultimate reward: to be able to help alleviate suffering."
Updated and adapted by Chris Brown <brownc@ur.msstate.edu>.
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