My name is Laura Walsh and I grew up in Bethesda, MD. I attended UVA for undergrad, where I received a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Psychology. After college, I completed a two-year post-baccalaureate premedical program at Washington University in St. Louis. I then returned home to Bethesda and worked at the NIH Clinical Center in a basic science laboratory.
Some of my favorite activities have included tutoring, volunteering at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, volunteering for a hospice agency, and volunteering in an emergency department. These experiences have also impacted my desire to become a generalist physician. As a hospice volunteer, I encountered many patients afflicted with COPD or lung cancer as a result of smoking. Helping these patients made me consider how important it is for physicians to employ preventative care measures and to serve as the first point of contact with patients. Additionally, through my volunteering experiences in hospice and in the emergency department, I have learned the value of continuity of care when working with patients. My shadowing experiences with my father, an oncologist, have also helped me to appreciate the role of treating the whole patient, an important aspect of primary care.
After medical school I hope to pursue a residency in pediatrics or combined internal medicine/pediatrics. I am also interested in learning how to work with community leaders towards the prevention of chronic illnesses and infectious diseases at the primary care level.
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, attending yoga classes, and visiting my cousin in NYC.