A strong desire to be part of a community led Dr. Sarah Doucette to the field of family medicine, and it is her dedication to outreach that makes her a natural choice to receive the 2019 TAFP Dallas Chapter Outstanding Graduate Award.

Dr. Sarah Doucette

What this award means: I am very grateful for and proud of my medical education. Because of the broad nature of family medicine, it is important to have a strong foundational knowledge of other medical specialties. The new curriculum at UTSW allowed me to complete electives in subspecialties that medical students are not normally exposed to, such as dermatology and sports medicine.

Mentor comment: Sarah has participated in our programs with incredible creative energies and a refreshing idealism to accomplish what needed to be done. She demonstrated an amazing passion and commitment for primary care, and I feel confident that she will continue to succeed in her studies and provide the same high level of passion and commitment to the population she will serve. – Dr. Nora Gimpel, Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine, who holds the Dr. John L. and Louise Roan Professorship in Family Medicine

Background and family: I grew up in Plano. My parents both have careers in engineering. I am the first doctor in my family!

What led to your career path: During a shadowing experience with a Lubbock allergist as an undergrad at Texas Tech, a patient came in, and I could tell he and the physician had been friends for a while. When the doctor finally asked the patient how he was feeling, he answered, ‘I’m all right I guess, considering it’s …,’ and the doctor interrupted knowingly, ‘cotton ginning season.’ I was fascinated by how the residents of an area spanning thousands of square miles could feel so connected by facing similar medical problems derived from the characteristics of their region. Following this experience, I knew that community involvement was extremely important to me. When I started my clinical rotations at UT Southwestern, I found that this value was most exemplified by the field of family medicine.

UTSW activities: When I moved to Dallas, I sought to form meaningful relationships not only within my Medical School class but also within the community. I began attending services at a local church and participated in its young adult activities and volunteer events. The activity I am most proud of was implementing a health and fitness curriculum at a charter school in East Dallas. I worked with UTSW Family and Community Medicine faculty, residents, and other students to design the curriculum and visit the school every Friday to interact with the students and teach the lessons. After one year of our program, the student body had significantly higher average scores in all categories.

Surprising fact: When I was young, I was on a synchronized swimming team!

Future plans: I will start my residency in family medicine at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver this summer. I recently became engaged to James Sutton, another UT Southwestern graduate, who is going into emergency medicine and will complete his residency at Denver Health.

About the award: The TAFP (Texas Academy of Family Physicians) Outstanding Student Award is given by the Dallas Chapter to one student annually.