Dr. Grayson Koval: MT ‘Pepper’ Jenkins Outstanding Medical Student Award in Anesthesiology and Pain Management

By Heather Svokos

Dr. Grayson Koval
Dr. Grayson Koval

Dr. Grayson Jeffrey Koval’s lightbulb moment in high school occurred when he was on a mission trip to Brazil with his church. While there, he worked in the medical clinic.

“After that, I knew that I wanted to pursue medicine as a career,” said Dr. Koval, who is the recipient of the 2017 MT “Pepper” Jenkins Outstanding Medical Student Award in Anesthesiology and Pain Management.

Growing up in the towns of Coppell and Prosper, he and his siblings were home-schooled by their parents. “My family has been very supportive throughout UT Southwestern Medical School, and it has been a dream come true to go to medical school in the same area where I grew up,” he said.

He earned his undergraduate degree in biology at Baylor University, where he worked out a purposeful life course.

“Because I knew medicine would saturate my life following college, I used my time at Baylor to explore other interests, including student life and community outreach,” Dr. Koval said. “I had the privilege to work with and mentor underprivileged youth though Mission Waco, an organization that ministers to the impoverished in Waco.”

He was first drawn to the field of anesthesia by its procedural nature. “I have always liked working with my hands, and anesthesiology certainly fulfills that desire,” he said.

He also appreciates the field’s diversity – the ability to work with people of all ages in a great variety of clinical settings – and “the opportunity to be with and provide support and encouragement for patients during the stressful time of surgery.”

The “Pepper” Jenkins Award recognizes a student seeking a career in anesthesiology who had an exemplary performance in Medical School, takes an empathetic approach to patient care, and exhibits the characteristics of leadership, scholarship, and thirst for knowledge exemplified by the award’s namesake.

The recognition is named for the late Dr. M.T. “Pepper” Jenkins, who established and served as Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management from 1948 until 1981.

“We chose Grayson to receive the award based on his academic excellence and his compassionate nature,” said Dr. Aditee Ambardekar, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management. “His thoughtfulness, acumen, and hard work during his clerkship rotations and specifically his anesthesiology rotations were noted by everyone who worked with him. Our observations were only confirmed when we learned of his AOA status and recent induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. We are thrilled to have matched Grayson into our anesthesiology residency.”

Dr. Koval is honored to be this year’s recipient. “Throughout Medical School I have focused on doing my work to the best of my ability, and to be recognized with this award is very special,” he said. “The support of Dr. Charles Whitten [Chairman of Anesthesiology and Pain Management] and Dr. Catherine Barden [Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management] has been invaluable and is a major reason why I am staying at UT Southwestern for residency. Outside of anesthesia, Dr. Blake Barker [Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Associate Dean of Student Affairs] has been a wonderful mentor.”

It’s not all work and no play for Dr. Koval. A piano player since kindergarten, he still makes time to play. And when he wants to indulge in some stress relief, he plays tennis; he spent some time playing on the club tennis team at Baylor.

A newlywed, Dr. Koval is fresh from an April honeymoon with his wife, Emily, a speech pathologist. “She is a wonderful support to me, and we are excited to begin our life together,” he said.

Dr. Whitten holds the Margaret Milam McDermott Distinguished Chair in Anesthesiology and Pain Management.