Senior resident Dr. Samantha Curtis has won the 2024 Med-Peds Program Director Association (MPPDA) Walter W. Tunnessen, Jr. Award honoring a graduating medicine-pediatric resident for innovative accomplishments in education, clinical care, and advocacy.
Opportunities to teach medical students and residents on the wards, gain skills at teaching through the Medical Education Leadership Track, and advocating for individuals in the community by volunteering at Durham’s Federally Qualified Health Center, Lincoln Community Health Center, were instrumental in helping Dr. Curtis develop the qualities and skills honored by the award, she said.
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Dr. Curtis is a graduate of East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine. Her interest in Med-Peds is rooted, she added, in her desire to take care of individuals at all stages of life, particularly those patients transitioning from pediatric to adult care. Dr. Curtis hopes to pursue a career as an internal medicine-pediatric hospitalist in the area after finishing her pediatric chief year.
During her free time, she enjoys being outside with her two dogs, husband, Will, and daughter, Collins. She enjoys running, hiking, biking, cooking and watching the newest season of the Great British Bakeoff.
Dr. Curtis recently spoke about her work and research in the following interview.
Please describe your most significant research work and why you are excited about it. What is the translational potential?
Dr. Curtis: My most significant research work has been with the department of neonatology. I worked with Dr. Rachel Greenberg, analyzing large databases of premature infants and attempting to determine trends in medications over time. Before residency, I never had an opportunity to complete research from the development phase through publication. I am excited about this work because the skills that I have learned will help me answer future questions about medication utilization and provide the best and most efficacious care to my patients.
What has a Duke School of Medicine education meant to you in preparing for your career as a physician and/or researcher?
Dr. Curtis: Completing my residency training at Duke Hospital has been instrumental in my career development because the high level of care provided at Duke has provided me with the chance to care for people in all walks of life and manage a wide variety of different and often complex diagnoses. The Brody School of Medicine instilled in me the importance of meeting patients where they are, and caring for patients on a more human level. Duke has nourished those skills at the bedside to provide the best care for patients. Training here has offered the ability to take care of individuals who are experiencing some of their most difficult life events, developed my understanding of the medicine and management of complex conditions, and provided the most up to date care using evidence-based medicine. It has meant so much to train here – coming from the University of North Carolina, I never thought I’d come to love Duke.
We live in a fascinating time for moving medicine forward. How do you foresee contributing to medicine that will improve the health and well-being for all populations?
Dr. Curtis: While I hope to be an internal medicine-pediatric hospitalist, I would love to work on teaching teams, teach in a medical school and pursue opportunities in global health. I hope to teach medical students the importance of providing holistic and manageable care for patients. I would like to continue to look for ways to support patients in their healthcare journeys in the hospital and after discharge. I also hope to gain insight into different healthcare systems both at the local level and global level and learn how to provide care in resource deficient communities. Most importantly, I hope to always remember that our job as physicians is not about us, but about our patients.