By Lin Lofley

Dr. Luwam Ghidei  won the 32nd Iatros Award – the only award from UT Southwestern Medical School voted on by the members of the graduating class – because she displayed so many of the qualities of a successful physician, not the least of which is her sense of  “esprit de corps.”

Dr. Ghidei, who will soon begin a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Brown/Women & Infants Hospital, in Providence, Rhode Island, already has the teamwork part of medicine pretty well in hand.

She proved it over four years in medical school, and her work in her chosen specialty was impressive enough to also earn Dr. Ghidei the 2015 Southwestern Gynecologic Assembly Award, which is given annually to an outstanding UT Southwestern graduate who is pursuing a career in the specialty.

“It’s an honor just to be nominated for the Iatros,” Dr. Ghidei said, “but that pales in comparison to the feeling I got when I read the comments that my classmates wrote about me. I’m very grateful.”

One of her classmates wrote: “I remember in the MS2 year, when most of us were just focused on passing the next exam, Luwam was still dedicating herself to service in the community. Still, she was always there to greet you with a smile and a laugh. There is no one else at UT Southwestern whom I respect more than Luwam Ghidei.”

The winner of the Iatros, established by the Class of 1984 and sponsored by the UT Southwestern Medical School Alumni Foundation, is determined by votes of the graduating class to honor the individual who most emulates the complete qualities of a physician. “Iatros” is a Greek word for physician.

“That’s what makes it most meaningful,” said Dr. Ghidei, who graduates with Distinction in Global Health. “My fellow medical students are my role models, and they’re the ones who nominated me.”

The Dallas native and Lake Highlands High School graduate earned an undergraduate degree in human physiology at Boston University. In medical school, she didn’t settle on a specialty for a long time. She had a real interest in urology right up until her next-to-last rotation, which was obstetrics and gynecology.

“And that’s when all the pieces fell together,” she said.

She admitted that she cried upon delivering her first baby, in part because the mother and the medical student were both exhausted at the end of a long labor that the mother endured without pain medication – a cultural decision.

“All I was doing was helping,” Dr. Ghidei said, “and when I saw the mother smile and hold her baby, then I knew what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

“I liked every bit of obstetrics and gynecology.”

And she made an impression on faculty members such as Dr. Clarice Grimes, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“She made me remember why I went into medicine,” Dr. Grimes said. “She was phenomenal, always ready to go out of her way and advocate for patients. I feel like I’ve grown just by knowing her.”

Dr. Grimes, a mentor in Sprague College, had able assistance from Dr. Ghidei, who in turn helped second-year medical students, spending time on the wards with them and then extra time at the conclusion of Sprague College sessions.

“Luwam is an excellent role model with heart, compassion, and knowledge,” Dr. Grimes said. “She has an incredible future in obstetrics and gynecology and I look forward to hearing about her continued success.”

Dr. Ghidei also made an impression that reached across the globe. Dr. Mehari Gebreyohanns, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, noted her work in Ethiopia on a medical mission trip.

“I was struck by her brilliance, her fearlessness, her tenacity, warmth, and generosity,” Dr. Gebreyohanns said. “She’s already done a lot and traveled many places.”

Winning the Iatros and the Southwestern Gynecologic Assembly awards caps an extraordinary year that launched in January when Dr. Ghidei was honored with the 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship for Community Service.