Dr. Thomas Lowrey

Dr. Thomas Lowrey might be the first recipient of the John D. McConnell Award for Excellence in Urology who has actually met the award’s namesake.

Dr. Lowrey, who will soon begin his urologic surgery residency at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, remembers being interviewed by Dr. McConnell when he was seeking entry into Wake Forest School of Medicine.

“I didn’t know about the McConnell Award until I saw the information on it in the Department of Urology,” Dr. Lowrey said, “but when I saw the name, I knew exactly who he was. We had a great talk about his work at Wake Forest, where he was once CEO of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and is now an esteemed faculty member.”

Dr. Lowrey didn’t get the job, instead opting to pursue a medical career upon acceptance to UT Southwestern Medical School after graduating from the University of North Carolina. As the grandson of a Louisiana orthopedic surgeon and the son of an Austin pediatrician and nurse, he was well-acquainted with the medical field. His father, Dr. Robert Lowrey, impressed him even in elementary school: “All my friends had him as their doctor at that time, and I thought that was really cool.”

As a young man, the Eagle Scout also learned the value of hard work and service to others by watching his father and grandfather, traits that he will always hold important as he follows in their footsteps.

“He has it all: He’s intelligent, has a kind spirit, and is a hard worker who’s willing and able to tackle complex medical problems,” said Dr. Linda Baker, Director of Pediatric Urology Research at Children’s Medical Center Dallas and Professor of Urology and in the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development. “He is also patient, and as a pediatric urologist I am glad that he’s interested in that field.”

Dr. Lowrey has a strong interest in quality improvement and patient safety, having worked on an extensive four-year project with the Office of Quality, Safety, and Outcomes Education, as well as leading the Institute for Healthcare Improvement at UT Southwestern during his second year. He hopes to continue such pursuits during residency and in his future career.

“He was outstanding during his clinical rotations,” said Dr. Gary Lemack, Professor of Urology and Neurology and Neurotherapeutics. “He is always well-read and genuinely interested in contributing to the care delivered on the urology service.”

The McConnell Award honors the clinician whom many in the Department credit for the continued success of Urology at UT Southwestern. Dr. McConnell is Executive Director of Wake Forest Healthcare Ventures in North Carolina, focused on developing and commercializing health care products and services. Urology was still a Division when Dr. McConnell became the third leader of the group, and he oversaw the elevation of Urology to Department status, greatly improved the grant support for basic urological research, and grew both the clinical and basic science research faculty through a nationwide recruiting effort. He left UT Southwestern in 2008, then served as CEO at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center until 2017.

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Dr. Lemack holds the Rose Mary Haggar Professorship in Urology.