Dr. Colin Purmal: Rolland C. Reynolds Pathology Award
By Deborah Wormser
During his third and fourth years of medical school, Dr. Colin Purmal became committed to his goal of becoming a physician at an academic institution like UT Southwestern Medical Center.
“I will be able to participate in the medical education, conduct pragmatic research that will help answer clinical questions for patients, and medicine will allow me to develop long-term, meaningful therapeutic relationships with my patients. Each day I spend on the wards provides me further evidence that I made the correct choice,” he said in an interview during his rotation in cardiovascular intensive care.
Department of Pathology faculty members have chosen Dr. Purmal to receive the 2016 Rolland C. Reynolds Pathology Award, presented to a graduating medical student whose actions demonstrate care and giving. The award, which includes $1,500, honors the late UT Southwestern alumnus and faculty member remembered as a gifted pathologist and a generous person.
Dr. James Richardson, Professor of Molecular Biology and of Pathology, said, “Dr. Reynolds held with high esteem those who have demonstrated a capacity to care for and give to others. Colin’s dedication to his patients makes him an excellent choice for this year’s Rolland C. Reynolds Award.” Dr. Richardson directs the second-year pathology course on which the Reynolds award is largely based.
“I am honored to be chosen as the 2016 Reynolds Award recipient,” said Dr. Purmal, a native of Sunnyvale, California, who graduated from UT Austin with a bachelor’s of science in microbiology with highest honors and who delivered a commencement address in 2010. “My mentors on my pathology rotations were Dr. Richardson and Dr. Ravi Sarode [Professor of Pathology]. What these two physicians have taught me will help shape my future practice.”
Dr. Purmal says he was drawn to UT Southwestern Medical School by its ability to marry great science and high-quality clinical training. “UT Southwestern provides students unparalleled access to research opportunities, diverse clinical experiences that include medical students in the day-to-day care of patients, and the ability to rotate at a wide range of quality hospitals,” he said.
He praised the Medical School’s small group learning opportunities, saying, “I had a great pathology small group. We worked together to examine the assigned slides, and helped each other study for our pathology quizzes during our second year of medical school. This innovative, team-based approach to learning gave me a basic understanding of pathophysiology that I was later able to bring to the bedside during my third year of medical school. These small groups also taught me valuable lessons on how to work in teams – a skill that will be integral to my success as a health care provider.”
His favorite UT Southwestern memory was providing care for veterans while rotating at the North Texas VA Medical Center during his internal medicine sub-internship, and he praised the integration of trainees at the VA.
Dr. Purmal’s hobbies include hiking, cooking, discovering new restaurants, and he recently started rock climbing. As an undergraduate he did research in switch-grass, a drought-resistant native Texas grass. The project provided a true Lone Star experience: He got to drive an official UT Austin truck through the Bryan/College Station area to obtain native plant materials for study.
Dr. Purmal’s medical training will soon relocate him back to the West Coast. His internal medicine residency is at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.
