Summer 02

Full Throttle For Degrees and Public Service

Time is a precious and well-measured commodity for medical students, a fixed parameter in a complex balancing act of study, labs, lectures, clinical rotations and precious private time. Shannon Hawkins, PhD '01, MD '02, mastered the formula over the last eight years, finessing a schedule and volunteer activities that could set the pace for a NASCAR race.

In the parlance of some medical students, Dr. Hawkins was on the "eight-year plan" when she began her studies in 1994, meaning she had set her sights on earning a doctorate that allowed her to pursue her research as well as a medical degree.She accomplished those goals, first obtaining her PhD in the School's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. On May 12, Mothers Day, she received her medical diploma along with 272 other IUSM students.

Combining medical and research studies are virtually a 24/7 proposition, yet the Bicknell, Ind., native found the time to serve her community. She has been active with the Indianapolis Children's Bureau, the Julian Center for Domestic Violence, Special Olympics, and the Salvation Army Free Clinic for Women and Children, and programs to help the homeless and to discourage youngsters from smoking. These and other activities led to her receiving the prestigious 2002 Wilhelm-Frankowski Scholarship for Dedication to Women's Health and Community Service, awarded by the American Medical Women's Association at its national meeting earlier this year. She's also a member of the Indiana Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha, the nation's only medical honor society.

"Community service is a vital outlet for medical students," says Dr. Hawkins, who recently began her residency in obstetrics/gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, accompanied by her husband Britt Hutchison. "All of us come to medical school with the goal of helping people, but we spend an enormous amount of time in class and study, and we often don't have the opportunities to help others.

"For me, it was also a great way to relieve stress. Some people run; I prefer to participate in and organize volunteer activities," explains Dr. Hawkins.