Dr. Christopher Joseph had the rare opportunity to complete medical school and also work at SpaceX, the private space exploration company founded by the billionaire Elon Musk. That experience influenced his career choice in emergency medicine and innovation research, two passions he hopes to combine.

Christopher Joseph, M.D.

What this award means: After my third year of medical school, I took a research year working for a medical startup. Spending that year away made me work particularly hard to be prepared for my fourth-year emergency medicine (EM) rotations. Receiving this award not only recognizes my efforts to learn and develop within emergency medicine, it also represents the incredible mentorship I have received from residents and faculty.

Mentor comment: Christopher has already made significant contributions to scientific literature with dozens of publications and research presentations on esophageal cooling and atrial fibrillation. He has also volunteered with the Communities Foundation of Texas, coordinated a vaccine drive, and acted as a peer mentor. Chris displays excellent early-clinician skills, and we expect him to have a bright future in emergency medicine. – Mary McHugh, M.D., Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine 

Background and family: Despite having parents from Malaysia and Peru, I was born in New Zealand. I immigrated to the United States with my parents and older brother as a child and grew up in the South. I now live in Dallas along with my girlfriend, Julie, and our dog, Maya.

What led to your career path: I’ve known since high school that I would pursue a career in medicine. Although I always had an interest in innovation, I never thought it would play a role in my future career. However, in college I had the opportunity to work at Blockit, a medical software startup, where I discovered my desire to work at the crossroads of health care and technology. This experience and my time working at SpaceX led me to a career in emergency medicine and innovation research.

College: I went to UT Dallas and majored in biology. As part of the UT-PACT combined B.A./M.D. program, I was accepted to medical school when I was 17. While in college, I was a resident adviser in the dorms and was the co-president of my UT-PACT class.

UTSW activities: I served with the Academic Colleges as a peer mentor and often volunteered for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. I also took a research year working at Attune Medical with Erik Kulstad, M.D., Professor of Emergency Medicine at UTSW and an emergency medicine physician at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Surprising fact: During medical school, I worked at SpaceX on research and planning for spaceflight missions and deployment of Starlink internet into health care settings.

Ultimate career goal: My ultimate goal would be to apply the skills I’ve learned in medical innovation to issues faced by underprivileged and underinsured patients. There is a lot of money and interest in health care technology currently, but not enough targeting those most in need of innovation. Emergency medicine sits at the forefront of this issue by acting as the safety net for patients who desperately need preventive care. I hope to help fill this gap throughout my career.

Future plans: I matched at UT Southwestern for my emergency medicine residency. In the future, I hope to practice as an academic emergency medicine physician with a focus on innovation both within my academic institution and with startups.

About the award: The award is given annually to a senior medical student for demonstrating excellence and commitment to emergency medicine.