W. Roy (“Will”) Smythe, M.D. is the Sr. Vice President for Institute Development, and the Medical Director for Innovation for the Scott & White Healthcare system. He is also Professor of Surgery and Molecular and Cellular Medicine for the Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine, and the Glen and Rita K. Roney Endowed Chair in Surgery.
As a physician-scientist, his clinical focus has been thoracic cancers, and his research interests have included molecular therapeutics and programmed cell death. He is the founder of the Center for Cell Death and Differentiation, a Scott & White / Texas A&M medical school research group.
With his colleagues at Scott & White, Dr. Smythe has initiated several innovative projects directed at changing health care delivery, including using evidence-based guidelines across an entire system, changes in physician communication, hospital and clinic structural design, and quality and safety in the operating room.
He has been named to the list of “Best Doctors in America” every year since 2003. He has published more than 200 manuscripts and essays related to his research, as well as surgical history, education and the human side of medicine.
Howdy Dr. Smythe,
My name is Cody Wright and I am the Membership Director of the Texas A&M Pre-Medical Society here on campus in College Station. I heard you were coming to speak at one of our meetings and I would like to personally thank you for taking time out of your busy day to talk to us.
I have been reading your posts, and I can say that as soon as I finish reading your latest post I get anxious and cannot wait until you post a new article! I have been looking for physicians to shadow but I have come to the conclusion that it is slim-picking for pre-medical studentsin the Bryan/College Station area. I would like to ask you if I could shadow you sometime in the near future? My e-mail is codywright53@tamu.edu. That is the best way to contact me.
Thank you for your time,
Cody Wright
Membership Director-Texas A&M Pre-Medical Society
Texas A&M University-Biology 2013
Cody,
I will get back to you regarding a shadowing opportunity. I appreciate you reading the stories on Will and Reason, and it is so very gratifying to see your enthusiasm for medicine. There are many challenges ahead for health care – the assumption that we need to make is that no component of the delivery system in this country is sacrosanct. We must lower the cost of care while improving quality, we must make the experience of receiving care in our system one that is efficient, effective and humane, we must improve the “health” of populations rather than just treating the acute problems that arise, and finally, we must extend meaningful life and relieve suffering. We can do better on all of those counts, we must do better. That being said, there has never been a better time to be starting a career in medicine. Your generation will complete the work that we start on those issues, and the science that you will have access to will conquer diseases that we have struggled with since recorded medical history. Study hard.
Best,
Will