Dr. Candace Wu Jackson

Dr. Candace Wu Jackson will leave UT Southwestern Medical School with the top honor for a medical student in internal medicine, the highest regards of her UTSW faculty and classmates … and the husband she met here.

For Dr. Jackson, accomplishing a lot where she’s planted is nothing new.

In high school, she was both California’s State Scholar Athlete and a National Merit Scholar. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she majored in biology, she played on the tennis team and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist.

“Candace is one of the most impressive students to graduate from UT Southwestern Medical School and one cannot help but be in awe of her ability to excel in many different realms, yet remain firmly grounded,” said one of her mentors, Dr. Reeni Abraham, Associate Professor in Internal Medicine and Co-Director of the Internal Medicine Clerkship.

“I look forward to hearing of her great accomplishments as a physician, medical educator, and leader in our field,” added Dr. Abraham about Dr. Jackson, recipient of the 2018 Hemphill-Gojer Award in Internal Medicine.

The award, presented each year to the top medical student in internal medicine, was established by Ross H. and Anne Seymour Hemphill in honor of their son and daughter-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Seymour Hemphill; their daughter and son-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Gojer; and Anne Hemphill’s parents, E. Clyde and Florine Allen Seymour. Dr. Hemphill and Dr. Gojer are both UT Southwestern Medical School alumni.

Dr. Jackson’s years at UT Southwestern were busy – but also especially rewarding since she met her eventual husband, Taylor Jackson, the very first day of Medical School.

The couple, who married May 28, 2017, are now both headed for residencies at Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education in Rochester, Minnesota. Her residency will be in internal medicine; his in orthopedic surgery.

Dr. Jackson said she gravitated to internal medicine because it allowed her to be “challenged with new and rewarding puzzles every day, as well as comfort patients at the bedside during a difficult time in their lives. Ultimately, internal medicine gives me the opportunity to satisfy my intellectual curiosity, to connect with patients during a difficult time, and to establish long-term relationships with patients. I am excited to embark on this journey,” she said.

While in Medical School, Dr. Jackson helped manage The Monday Clinic, a student-run free medical clinic, and was Co-President of the Cardiology Interest Group, which organized lunch lectures from Cardiology faculty and opportunities to shadow and do research with cardiologists. She was also involved in research, recently giving presentations at the American College of Cardiology conference in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Jackson said she hopes to remain in academia and stay involved in research and medical education.

She and her husband/fellow UTSW Medical School Class of 2018 graduate were finally able to take their honeymoon this April, visiting London, Brussels, Paris, Tokyo, and other cities in six countries over 27 days.