Dr. Giselle Peng’s original game plan involved an engineering career. But through work experience at college, she found lab and desk jobs lacked excitement. Instead, she got energized volunteering as an EMT and treating people in crisis. Soon, she set her sights on medical school, zoning in on surgery and a field where she could make an impact by healing and relieving suffering.

Giselle Peng, M.D.

What this award means: I am incredibly honored to receive this award from my mentors in the Department of Surgery. It means so much to me that the people who have instructed, advised, and mentored me through the past couple of years consider me worthy of such an honor.

Mentor comment: Giselle’s academic accomplishments, surgical skills, leadership abilities, and personal attributes epitomize excellence in surgery and the care of patients. Faculty praised her enthusiasm, learning, humility, and grit that will enable her to be successful. She will be an outstanding surgeon, and we look forward to seeing her excel in the field as a leader. – Rohit Sharma, M.D., Associate Professor of Surgery

Background and family: My parents are emigrants from China who met in the U.S. during graduate school. They moved to Texas to raise my younger brother and me, and we grew up in Coppell, Texas. I’m proud to be the first in my family to go into medicine.

What led to your career path: I originally went to college to study engineering, but soon found myself bored sitting at a desk or working in the lab. I started volunteering as an EMT and loved the excitement of responding to an evolving clinical situation and the reward of helping people in need. During my surgery clerkship, I saw the power of surgery to heal and relieve suffering. I knew surgery was a field that would constantly push me to be my best and where I would never be bored.

College: I majored in biological engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I worked as an EMT-B with MIT Emergency Medical Services, a volunteer ambulance service, and held several leadership roles during my time there. During college, I also worked as an undergraduate research assistant at the MIT Media Lab and in the Lauffenburger Lab.

UTSW activities: I have conducted research with Raksha Jain, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine, on pregnancy outcomes in cystic fibrosis. My favorite activities I participated in during medical school were playing in a classical piano duo with my good friend and classmate, Jonathan Tao, and volunteering with United Rocks, an organization dedicated to helping children with disabilities gain physical, mental, and social skills through rock climbing.

Surprising fact: I can currently do five pullups in a row. My goal is to get up to 10!

Future plans: I’m planning on pursuing fellowship training after residency and am currently most interested in trauma and critical care but am keeping an open mind!

About the award: Established in 1979, the award is named for Dr. Lee Hudson, who served as Chief of Surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital when UT Southwestern was founded in 1943, and for Robert Penn, Dr. Hudson’s brother-in-law.