By Ryan Daugherty

Dr. Cameron Locke

Dr. Cameron Locke, son of a primary care physician in the small town of WaKeeney, Kansas, spent many hours of his youth in hospital rooms and clinic offices. His formative years often included observing his father interact with his patients, who were usually friends or neighbors from the town of less than 1,900 residents.

“I feel these experiences provided a specific understanding of what it meant to be a doctor and a glimpse at the important role a physician can play in a patient’s life,” he said.

The younger Dr. Locke graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in human biology with a concentration in psychology. While at KU, he received two scholarships, the Summerfield Scholarship and Hansen Scholarship, both given to students displaying leadership and academic success.

Once Dr. Locke began his education at UT Southwestern Medical School, he noticed his young-age vision remained true. What he was experiencing continued to move in a positive direction as his perspective deepened.

“I was drawn to internal medicine not only for its breadth of information and challenge of problem-solving, but for the responsibility these things represented,” he said. “Throughout training, I decided I wanted to pursue the only field where my excitement, fulfillment, and sense of responsibility continued to grow: internal medicine.”

Dr. Locke is a 2016 recipient of the Hemphill-Gojer Award, given each year to the top medical student in internal medicine.

The Hemphill-Gojer Award was established by Ross H. and Anne Seymour Hemphill in honor of their son and daughter-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Seymour Hemphill; their daughter and son-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Gojer; and Anne Hemphill’s parents, E. Clyde and Florine Allen Seymour. Dr. Hemphill and Dr. Gojer are both UT Southwestern Medical School alumni.

Dr. Reeni Abraham, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, said Dr. Locke’s dedication and passion for helping others were characteristics that helped him earn this year’s award.

“Cameron performed incredibly well during his IM clerkship, with many of his supervisors praising his clinical acumen,” she said. “He is a well-rounded individual who relishes serving and teaching others, and we are proud to have him represent UT Southwestern.”

During his time on campus, Dr. Locke had many mentors, including Dr. Matthew Cox, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Dr. Blake Barker, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, and Dr. Sujata Bhushan, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine. Dr. Locke said Dr. Cox played a huge role in preparing him for his life in the medical field.

“As my Colleges mentor, he was the physician from whom I spent the most time learning,” he said. “Our visits to his pediatric patients, who were victims of child abuse, served as constant reminders of the importance of compassion in medicine.”

Dr. Locke’s next step will be a residency at the University of California, San Francisco. He then hopes to pursue a gastroenterology fellowship. Through it all, he said he will look back on UT Southwestern as a place that provided him with an unparalleled education.

“I will always remember UT Southwestern as an environment that fosters excellence from students and physicians,” he said. “I feel privileged to have been surrounded with brilliant classmates who inspired me to keep improving, and I am thankful for their support through the years.”