A childhood emergency first sparked Dr. Kelly Lawson’s interest in becoming a physician. Throughout her education she’s learned how to merge her passion for science and helping people into a career focused on pediatrics, which makes her an ideal recipient for the Kurt Ian Wey, M.D., Senior Pediatric Award.

Dr. Kelly Lawson

What this award means: The award itself is something that holds a great deal of weight in representing someone special who is no longer with us. The fact that Dr. Wey’s family and friends remember him this way is extraordinary, and I am honored to be a part of this. I am so passionate about pediatrics and want this to always show in my clinical practice and search for knowledge. This award helps me feel like I am beginning to learn how to do this.

Mentor comment: Kelly is a young woman who perfectly embodies the spirit of the Kurt Ian Wey Award – she has shown grit and resilience throughout medical school and achieved scholastic excellence and the respect of her peers and her faculty for the humanistic way in which she practices medicine throughout her time on our campus. She will make an outstanding pediatrician and I can’t wait to see where her career takes her. – Dr. Soumya Adhikari, Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Background and family: I grew up mostly in Richardson, Texas, but spent three years in the Netherlands as a child. My parents still live in Richardson. My sister, Tracy, lives in Jarrell, Texas, with her husband and three super-cute children. My brother, Jimmy, lives in Austin.

What led to your career path: I have wanted to be a pediatrician since I was a little kid. I was in a bad car accident in Tunisia when I was 5 years old, and I remember how much the medical team’s compassion and care meant to me and my family. As I got older, the idea of being a pediatrician changed from being just a dream to being a passion. I love science and human biology and have found that applying this in a setting of patient care brought all the fascinating science together with compassion and empathy.

College: I majored in human biology at UT Austin. I volunteered with Foundation Communities, Cook Children’s Pediatric Surgery Center, Dallas Life Foundation for the homeless, Dickinson Independent Living Center, Natural Pediatrics, and a church soup kitchen. I was proud to receive the College of Natural Sciences book award and the Rebekah L. Henderson Scholarship and be accepted as a member into the Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma honor societies.

UTSW activities: Since coming to UT Southwestern, I have continued to volunteer with other organizations such as No One Dies Alone, Center of Hope, and HANDs. I’ve also worked in a UTSW research lab studying rhabdomyosarcoma.

Surprising fact: I enjoy practicing acrobatic yoga.

“I was in a bad car accident in Tunisia when I was 5 years old, and I remember how much the medical team’s compassion and care meant to me and my family. As I got older, the idea of being a pediatrician changed from being just a dream to being a passion.”

Future plans: I will be pursuing a residency in pediatrics at UT Southwestern and hope to eventually practice in a primary care setting.

About the award: The award recognizes a fourth-year medical student who shows empathy and compassion for sick children, has significant knowledge, and maintains a good sense of humor. Dr. Wey was a 1998 UT Southwestern graduate who died in a car accident. The award was established by family and friends to honor his life.