An undergraduate course in histology impacted Dr. Clayton Smith so much that he began leaning toward pathology during his gap years and solidified his interest after starting medical school. His fascination with determining disease causes by studying tissues and cells matched his skill set, and he felt most satisfied when able to provide a definitive diagnosis via pathology.

Clayton Smith, M.D.

What this award means: It is a great honor to receive this award. The faculty members within the Department are exceptional at embracing students and are genuinely invested in our journey to becoming pathologists.

Mentor comment: I have known Clayton since his first year of medical school when he asked to shadow the Autopsy Service. His interest in pathology shined, and he carried enthusiasm for pathology throughout medical school. His eagerness, coupled with his dedication to a career in pathology, makes Clayton an outstanding recipient of this award. – Bret Evers, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology and Ophthalmology

Background and family: I was born and raised in Houston. My mother works in IT, while my father was a collision repair mechanic until retiring a few years ago. Throughout my childhood, they humored my incessant curiosity and instilled a deep love of learning, which led me to science. I am looking forward to getting married soon after graduation to my wonderful fiancée. She is a Ph.D. student here at UTSW, whom I met pursuing research my first summer as a medical student.

What led to your career path: My interest in pathology began when I took an undergraduate course in histology. This class was so impactful that I decided to take two gap years to work at a lab researching early extracorporeal life support intervention in swine injury models. During this, I was part of the necropsy team that grossed organs and processed, embedded, sectioned, and stained slides. During clinical rotations in medical school, I felt most fulfilled when we could give the patient a definitive diagnosis via biopsy.

College: I graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science in biology and biochemistry. I was a member of the Honors College and defended my senior thesis on how copper as a micronutrient augments the epithelial to mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells. I was also Vice President of the Baylor American Medical Student Association Chapter, co-President of Medical Mentors, and worked as a Biology Ambassador. I was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as well as awarded the Cornelia Smith Award as the most outstanding senior of the Biology Department.

UTSW activities: I became involved in bench research in the lab of Isaac Chan, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Biology, looking at identifying site-specific vulnerabilities of breast cancer metastasis to the liver through the lens of cell competition. Additionally, I served as a microanatomy teaching assistant and was awarded the Dorothy Lee Scholarship in Pathology.

Surprising fact: I have visited about one-third of our national parks, and I hope to see them all someday.

Future plans: I matched here at UTSW, where I will complete a combined anatomic pathology/clinical pathology residency. Eventually I hope to pursue a career in academic medicine mainly focused on teaching and mentoring aspiring pathologists.

About the award: The award was established by friends and colleagues of Dr. Stembridge, a former Chair of Pathology, who died in 2000. The $1,500 award is given to a fourth-year medical student entering the field of pathology who has exhibited exemplary academic performance.