By Lin Lofley

As a youngster, Dr. Laurie Seidel was interested in what her pediatrician father did, but she quickly determined that profession wasn’t for her.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be a doctor,” she said, “because as a child, my understanding of what my dad [Dr. Jack Seidel, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, and UT Southwestern Medical School Class of 1987] did was make children cry.”

Dr. Laurie Seidel

Luckily for all involved, her earliest impressions didn’t dissuade Dr. Seidel from pursuing medicine and choosing a career in pediatrics.

Young Dr. Seidel – who grew up in Farmers Branch and graduated from Greenhill School in Addison – came around to medicine during her undergraduate years at Emory University. Her talents were tested and proved at UT Southwestern, and she is the recipient of the 2015 Ho Din Award, which is presented annually to an outstanding medical student by the Southwestern Medical Foundation.

The Ho Din Award is the oldest student recognition on campus, having first been bestowed in 1943. Ho Din is a Greek acronym representing “the spirit of medical wisdom,” and it honors outstanding knowledge, understanding, and compassion.

The Ho Din Award includes a certificate, a gold key charm, and $10,000.

For her four-year record of success on campus and in clinical settings, Dr. Seidel also has received the Kurt Ian Wey, M.D. Senior Pediatric Award, and the Rolland C. Reynolds Pathology Award for 2015.

Dr. Angela Mihalic, Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Professor of Pediatrics, was effusive when asked about Dr. Seidel’s qualities: “I had the great pleasure serving as her mentor in the Academic Colleges. From the start, it was clear that she was going to be incredibly successful and serve as a role model for her peers. 

“Aside from her exceptional intellect, Laurie has a passion for working with underserved and vulnerable populations. From these experiences, she has developed a remarkable ability to connect with her patients with empathy and compassion and understand their personal stories, which impact health. 

“In the past year, I have also witnessed Dr. Seidel developing teaching expertise as she served as a peer mentor in my Colleges group, teaching first- and second-year students lessons on professionalism, communication, and clinical skills. I have no doubt that she has a bright future in academic medicine and will make UT Southwestern Medical School very proud.”

Dr. Seidel, who graduated from Emory with a double major in linguistics and biology, began to reconsider a career in medicine during her junior year.

“I chose medicine because I wanted a career in which I could make a positive impact on someone’s life every day,” she said. “At UT Southwestern, I really enjoyed all my rotations. I thought long and hard about neurology, as well as radiation oncology.”

While accumulating a stellar academic record, Dr. Seidel exhibited a continued commitment to leadership and community service both on and off campus. She helped found the UT Southwestern Gender Equality Medical Society, an organization that strives to educate medical students about health concerns that disproportionately affect LGBT individuals. She also served as vice president of the UT Southwestern chapter of the American Medical Student Association, and throughout her medical school career was the medical student representative on the Women in Science and Medicine Advisory Committee, a UT Southwestern standing committee providing advice and initiatives on issues related to women in science and medicine.

The Kurt Ian Wey, M.D. Pediatrics Award is named in honor of a 1998 UT Southwestern graduate who died in an automobile accident. Established by the Wey family and friends, it recognizes a fourth-year medical student who shows empathy and compassion for sick children, has significant knowledge, and maintains a good sense of humor.

“She revels in the opportunity that physicians have to make a difference,” said Dr. Soumya Adhikari, Associate Professor of Pediatrics. “She has a knack for finding out, especially in the midst of crises, what matters most to her patients, and has an empathy for others that is bred from her own real-world experiences, which have made her mature beyond her years. She is going to make a wonderful pediatrician.”

“I love working with children, and I tend to have an affinity for sicker kids,” Dr. Seidel said. “I really enjoy that I have the opportunity to make positive changes early in their lives that will have a lasting impact.”

The Rolland C. Reynolds Pathology Award is presented to a graduating medical student whose actions demonstrate care and giving. The award, which includes $1,000, is named for the late UT Southwestern alumnus and faculty member remembered as a gifted pathologist and a generous person.

Dr. Seidel came to the attention of the Department of Pathology when, as a second-year medical student, she earned one of the highest scores in the pathology course.

“I have read about Dr. Reynolds, who must have been a truly exceptional person,” Dr. Seidel said. “I'm honored to receive the award endowed in his name, and I’m so humbled and inspired to try to live up to the extraordinary example he set both in his professional career and in his personal life.”