Karen J. Kowalske outstanding medical student in PM&R award

By Lin Lofley

Like perhaps most medical students, Dr. Charles Taylor II began his matriculation at UT Southwestern Medical School with little insight as to what specialty he might be interested in. He just knew he had landed in the right place to pursue his dream.

Dr. Charles Taylor II
Dr. Charles Taylor II

Before arriving at UT Southwestern, Dr. Taylor had achieved a certain amount of notoriety, due in part to having earned four undergraduate degrees and a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Southern Methodist University. And as far back as when he was a student at Paris High School, he had an idea of where he was going.

“Medicine and research always seemed to me to be the way I was headed, and when I got to UT Southwestern it was a whole new world,” he said. “I honestly feel that I could be happy in any of the specialties, but Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation provided a balance of everything I was looking for.”

The Kowalske Outstanding Medical Student in PM&R Award is named in honor of the department’s past chair, Dr. Karen Kowalske, and was started in 2011. The recipient receives a plaque and a $250 gift certificate. The award recognizes a UT Southwestern medical student who demonstrates empathy, compassion, maturity, and inquisitiveness.

“Dr. Taylor has shown great enthusiasm for our specialty from early in his medical school training, by attending our Annual PM&R Scientific Day events and his vigorous work as president of the student PM&R interest group,” said Dr. Samuel Bierner, Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Residency Director in the Department. “He has hosted students from both Fort Worth and UT Southwestern at his home so that they could interact with our residents and learn more about the field. He has an optimistic personality that will enable him to excel in working with disabled patients.”

Patient interactions in the specialty held value to him: “For the most part, the patients really want your help. They want rehabilitation and the clinician wants to help them achieve that. It’s a mutual endeavor,” he said.

The son of an East Texas glass shop owner, and a stay-at-home mom, Dr. Taylor earned undergraduate degrees at SMU in electrical engineering, with a biomedical specialization; mathematics, biological sciences; and physics; in addition to his master’s. And he wasn’t doing it just to stack majors.

“I really had an interest in all those things, so I kept taking the classes,” he said, with a laugh. “I plan to be a lifelong learner, and I believe I’d enjoy teaching.”

To earn all those degrees took an extremely supportive spouse, fellow SMU grad Lauren Taylor – now a Principal at The Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm – and a passel of scholarships that covered tuition costs.

At UT Southwestern, Dr. Taylor participated in a number of specialty interest groups, becoming President of each – the Pathology Society, the Radiology Interest Group, and the Physical Medicine and Rehabilition Interest Group.

He matched with UT Southwestern in the latter specialty, “and it was definitely my first choice. UT Southwestern is just a great fit for me. The fact that I can complete my residency here in four years means a lot.”

“I have known Dr. Taylor as his mentor in our Academic Colleges group,” said Dr. Patricia Bergen, Professor of Surgery. “He has been a happy, enthusiastic student who brings to the table a very strong intellect and most especially a curiosity that will serve him well in his career.

“He works very well in groups, challenging his colleagues to high levels of performance.  I expect he will become a strong leader in PM&R.  I am especially glad he has chosen UT Southwestern for his training. We are lucky to keep him here.”

When Dr. Taylor begins his residency, he’ll immediately join a prestigious roster of former Kowalske Award winners. In addition to himself, Dr. Vijita Patel (who won the award in 2014) joins the program this year and Dr. Lori Yap (2013) is already on housestaff.