Running ultramarathons, volunteering as an EMT, presenting clinical research, parenting a newborn, and graduating with a medical degree are just a few things Dr. Benjamin Fairbanks has achieved in the past few years. He’s been quite busy, and he likes it that way. His next ambition? To become a great family physician.

Benjamin Fairbanks, M.D.

What this award means: It is an honor to receive this award as recognition of my passion for the specialty. Throughout medical school I have been drawn to the role of the family physician as their broad training allows them to fill gaps in health care accessibility.

Mentor comment: Ben demonstrated an excellent fund of knowledge, supported his decision-making with evidence-based medicine, and took responsibility for patient care tasks. His presence on our team positively and significantly impacted patient care. Ben also has a true passion and drive for rural family medicine. He worked well in a resource-limited setting and embraced the scope of practice, responsibilities, and challenges faced regularly in a rural context. – Shiv Agarwal, M.D., Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine

Background and family: I am from Jackson, Wyoming. My wife and I have our hands full with a 9-month-old baby and two dogs.

What led to your career path: With my preference for maintaining a broad knowledge base, family medicine was a natural fit. Especially in resource-limited settings, family physicians are a crucial asset to their community because of their ability to offer such a wide range of services. Although it took me a couple of years to realize that I wanted to be a family physician, I look forward to being a trusted source of medical knowledge for patients of all ages and backgrounds.

College: I double-majored in economics and microbiology. I also was on the Economics Department Dean’s List and received the merit-based departmental scholarship for all three years I was enrolled in the major. As a research assistant, I worked on a project that analyzed pharmaceutical pricing behaviors. After my freshman year, I spent two years on a volunteer mission for my church, and as an upperclassman, I volunteered for a local rural fire department as an EMT. Further utilizing my EMT certification, I volunteered with a local mountain emergency response team.

UTSW activities: As an M.D/M.P.H. student, I made it a point to get involved. My first year, I was President of the Emergency Medicine Interest Group and organized medical student education, community outreach, and other activities. During my fourth year, I was on the leadership board of the Family Medicine Interest Group. For an M.P.H. class project, I worked with emergency physicians to improve disposition planning of congestive heart failure patients at Parkland Memorial Hospital. I presented the results at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine National Conference. I also spoke about my research on home blood pressure monitoring at the Society of Student-Run Free Clinics national conference. All four years, I volunteered at the student-run free clinics. My final year, I spent time working with first-year medical students as a teaching assistant and as a peer mentor.

Surprising fact: I started officially running ultramarathons during medical school. Currently, I am training for a 100-mile race which, if successful, would be my longest distance completed.

Future plans: I will soon start my residency at Oregon Health & Science University. Later, I would love to live in a rural community and incorporate outpatient, inpatient, and emergency medicine into my practice.

About the award: Named after the Chair of Family and Community Medicine at UT Southwestern from 1984 to 1993, the Ross Award includes a $1,000 scholarship from the Dallas Chapter of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians Foundation.