Dr. David Xu: Texas College of Emergency Physicians Award

Dr. David Xu
Dr. David Xu

By Gregg Shields

Say “Shanghai basketball star” and most fans might think of 7-foot-6-inch former NBA Houston Rockets star Yao Ming … except in the sports-crazed Xu family. They think of 5-foot-7 Dr. David Xu, who starred for the varsity at the Shanghai American School.

But while Dr. Xu’s highlights reel ends in Shanghai, he has gone on “in a greater arena” to become the 2016 Texas College of Emergency Physicians Award recipient, presented to a medical student who demonstrates excellence in emergency medicine, with special dedication to Texans who need emergency care.

Dr. Xu’s path from “court fame” to a career in medicine has been circuitous.

Born in Indiana to Chinese immigrant parents, he grew up in Plano. But when the family moved back to China, the future Dr. Xu enrolled in high school in Shanghai, and took his love of basketball with him.

As an undergraduate student at Brown University, his most remarkable talents began to flower. He earned an honors degree in biochemistry, writing a thesis on enzyme regulation of greening in plants entitled “PP2A Modulation of Light-Regulated Gene Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana.”

He was quickly drawn to emergency medicine after entering UT Southwestern Medical School.

“I loved the pace, the acuity, and the variety,” Dr. Xu said. “I really enjoyed how the ED really felt like a team. Just like basketball, you have to work well with all your teammates, doctors, nurses, technicians, and other support staff. It was definitely not a one-man show, and very humbling. I wanted to be ‘in the trenches’ and EM was pretty much what I imagined medicine to be. 

“It isn't always about the adrenaline rush of traumas or resuscitations, but much more focused on helping those at their hour of need, whether it be medicine refills or in some cases just someone to listen.”

Dr. Xu credits faculty mentors in Emergency Medicine like Dr. Jeffrey Van Dermark, Associate Professor, and Dr. Andrew Koyfman, Clinical Assistant Professor, with whom he helped develop a new course in education and Free Online Access Medical Education (FOAMed).

“Dr. Koyfman helped me navigate the different types of FOAMed,” Dr. Xu said.  “With his help, I have been able to contribute to WikEM, another FOAMed resource for physicians. My interest is in clinical teaching, so FOAMed is a great way to effectively learn in addition to traditional lectures.”  

 Dr. Xu also credited residents Dr. Brian Kendall and Dr. J. Mack Slaughter Jr. for their mentorship.

“David has the requisite skills to become an excellent clinical educator and has been a great asset to the development of educational EM programs here at UT Southwestern,” said Dr. Van Dermark. “The TCEP award recognizes the characteristics and aspirations of physicians who want to give back to the citizens of Texas in emergency care, which he has done through these endeavors. The faculty feel that David more than fulfills these requirements and will be an outstanding physician to all those in need.”

Dr. Xu is looking forward to his residency at Vanderbilt University, where he will join his bride (married October 2015), Dr. Carla Upperman-Xu, who is pursuing a career in pediatrics.

He said he was also attracted to Vanderbilt’s American Academy of Emergency Medicine award winners – Dr. Corey Slovis, Chair of Emergency Medicine, and Dr. Keith Wrenn, Program Director. 

“I had a chance to rotate at Vanderbilt and witness the charismatic dynamic of Drs. Slovis and Wrenn,” said Dr. Xu. “Along with them, the rest of the faculty and all the residents were among the happiest I had met on the interview trail.”