Dr. Vijay Agusala: Dr. Richard Mays Smith Award
With an interest in finance, Dr. Vijay Agusala originally had no plans to follow his parents into medicine – but their compelling stories changed his mind. He soon discovered his business knowledge could be a powerful asset for addressing health care disparity and accessibility. By taking a gap year to earn his MBA, Dr. Agusala is now equipped to follow his passion for helping others through medical practice and policy reform. He is one of this year’s recipients of the Dr. Richard Mays Smith Award.
What this award means: “It is humbling to be recognized among so many exceptional colleagues. My years as a medical student at UT Southwestern have been extremely rewarding, and I have been fortunate to have met and worked with many excellent clinicians and compassionate role models. I hope to emulate the standard they have set as I continue my training as a resident physician.”
Mentor comment: “I met Vijay after he completed his MBA at UT Dallas. His education, focus, and vision will propel him to become an outstanding physician leader. His interests in health policy and outcomes research are well suited for his goal of a leadership role in an academic setting. Vijay’s dedication to patient care is inspiring, and I look forward to hearing of his future success.” – Dr. Debra Weinberger, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery and Pediatrics
Background and family: “I grew up in Odessa, Texas, as the son of two physicians. While initially I never wanted to follow in their footsteps and planned to pursue a career in finance instead, hearing about their impactful and fulfilling professional experiences changed my mind and encouraged me to apply to medical school. Looking back, it was definitely the right decision for me. Now my sister is a first-year medical student.”
What led to your career path: “Growing up in rural Texas, I saw many barriers to health care accessibility hinder patients from receiving adequate medical care. I wanted to educate myself about both clinical medicine in medical school as well as about large-scale health care principles in business school so that I could be an effective patient advocate both in and out of the health care setting.”
College: “I graduated from Stanford University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in biology. I was active in the Stanford Pre-Medical Association and helped established a program to help undergraduates find clinical research mentors in the School of Medicine.”
UTSW activities: “Since the first year of medical school, I have been involved in various research projects with mentors in the Division of Cardiology. I also am a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.”
Surprising fact: “I took a year off between my third and fourth years of medical school to complete an MBA at UT Dallas. I hope to use the skills I learned to be a physician leader in the changing health care environment.”
Future plans: “I plan to complete my family medicine residency at UT Southwestern alongside my wife and hope to pursue a fellowship in cardiology afterward. Long term, I would like to remain in academic medicine and pursue my interests in health policy and outcomes research.”
About the award: The award is given annually to one or more graduating medical students who excel academically during clinical rotations and who exhibit an interest in and compassion for patients.