Dr. Thomas Das and Dr. Margret Smith, who both displayed a commitment to patient care over the past four years, have been honored with the 2018 Dr. Richard Mays Smith Award in Internal Medicine. The Smith Award is given annually to one or more graduating medical students who excel academically during clinical rotations and who exhibit an interest in and compassion for patients.

Dr. Thomas Das

Because he always liked science and technology, Dr. Das was naturally drawn to medicine. He had no idea the satisfaction he would receive just from patient interactions, however.

“I quickly found out in rotations just how exciting it is to get to know the patients,” Dr. Das said, “but in the health care setting that all works together with the interactions with your peers. I have really loved that.”

Dr. Das went into each rotation with relish, eager to soak up all that he could in his introduction to a new specialty. One of those specialties, cardiology, left a strong impression.

“That month in the Cardiology Care Unit at Parkland Hospital did it for me,” he said. “It was a powerful experience that left me wanting more.”

In addition to receiving the Dr. Richard Mays Smith Award, Dr. Das is also the winner of the 2018 Iatros Award, which is voted on by members of the graduating class. His campus activities included serving as Vice President of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and as a member of both the Biomedical Innovation Interest Group and the Cardiology Interest Group.

Ready to pursue a cardiology career, he will soon begin a residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. 

Dr. Margret Smith

For Dr. Smith, an important part of her journey from growing up in an Austin suburb to graduating from Duke University and then UT Southwestern Medical School happened in the year off that she took before medical school.

She spent that gap year in Milwaukee, working at the Bread of Healing Clinic under Dr. Barbara Horner-Ibler and other providers who made a huge impression on her.

“Dr. Horner-Ibler was a medical director, a pastor, a social worker, and a doctor, all in one,” Dr. Smith said. “She had a huge impact on my life and on my commitment to work with underserved communities.”

“Maggie has made it clear that her mission in life is to serve, and she wants to practice primary care,” said Dr. Reeni Abraham, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Co-Director of the Internal Medicine Clerkship. “She came here

wanting to do that, and her commitment to primary care never wavered. She is just an extraordinary person. She is humble, kind, generous – and smart as a whip.”

Dr. Smith earned a degree in biomedical engineering before that year in Milwaukee. After graduation, she’ll begin a residency in internal medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle.

“I liked science and I liked research,” she said, “but I always felt that I needed a human connection. During my junior year in college, it came to the forefront for me, and I realized that I’d be most happy providing primary care to people who might have trouble getting it.”

Her experiences in Milwaukee solidified her ambition, as did an ambulatory care rotation at the Golden Cross Academic Clinic in Oak Cliff.

“She is an outstanding student and will be an exemplary physician,” said Dr. David Auerbach, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and her Fashena College mentor for four years. “She is dedicated, hardworking, and very knowledgeable.

“What really distinguishes her is her compassion and sensitivity to others. If a question is posed, she will know the answer. But, she may wait to see if someone else replies. That’s who she is, and the University of Washington is very fortunate to have her join its residency program.”