By Leslie Klein

Dr. James Norman Celestino Bowen

It is no surprise that Dr. James Bowen remembers waking up for his psychiatry rotations and feeling excited every single day.

His interest in psychiatry began at a young age, originating from a family history of mental illness. While in high school, the 2017 recipient of the North Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians Award for Outstanding Medical Student in Psychiatry completed a yearlong independent study to develop a workbook of psychological self-assessments for teenagers.

As an undergraduate at UT Dallas, Dr. Bowen was accepted into the Texas Joint Admission Medical Program, which provides guaranteed admission into medical school as well as scholarships and summer enrichment programs to financially disadvantaged students. The neuroscience major graduated summa cum laude from the Collegium V Honors Program with a 4.0 grade-point average and received the UT Dallas Dean’s Award for Excellence in Neuroscience.

Dr. Bowen’s sister, Jacquelyn, suggested neuroscience, which will serve him well in understanding some of the biological underpinnings of psychiatric illness and treatment. Dr. Bowen joked that he and his sister, a speech-language pathologist, are the same person born six years apart.

Once at UT Southwestern, Dr. Bowen was able to integrate his passions for psychiatry and public health in the dual M.D./M.P.H. program. His interest in public health stemmed from his childhood, specifically the periods when his parents could not afford health insurance.

Dr. Bowen said that learning about socioeconomic health disparities like those he experienced – as well as how they can be addressed – resonated with him. He hopes to work heavily with patients affected by these disparities in his career.

A leader in the Texas Association for GLBTQ Health, Dr. Bowen completed his M.P.H. research practicum at Gay City Health Project, an LGBTQ community health and arts center in Seattle.

Faculty members praised his academic and professional skills.

 “James is a remarkable student – he has excelled academically and is graduating with a joint M.D./M.P.H degree and is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society,” said Dr. Adam Brenner, Professor of Psychiatry. “One of his psychiatry supervisors said, ‘He was able to make even the most distressed patients comfortable with his calm and genuinely caring demeanor.’”

When reflecting on his psychiatry rotations, Dr. Bowen said he found it extremely gratifying to help people through very difficult experiences and circumstances. He said he hopes to take that feeling of excitement he experienced during rotations with him every day for the rest of his life.

Dr. Bowen said his passion for journalism has helped him succeed in psychiatry.

“Looking back, I think many of the skills necessary to interview someone for a news or feature article are useful in interviewing patients and learning their stories,” he said.

 In his spare time, Dr. Bowen enjoys hiking and traveling with his husband, Travis. Together they have traveled to Barcelona, Ibiza, London, Kauai, and Aruba. Dr. Bowen’s favorite way to experience a new place is to eat his way through the city and soak in the beautiful landscapes during hikes, he said.

Dr. Bowen matched to the University of Washington’s psychiatry program and is considering a consult-liaison or palliative care fellowship following residency. The institution’s strengths in both inpatient and outpatient consult-liaison psychiatry are unparalleled, he said, especially when it comes to the collaborative care model of outpatient consult-liaison psychiatry.

“If I can change the world a little with my career and travel the world a little with my husband, I’ll be happy,” he said.