Students, faculty and staff gathered at the School of Medicine Friday, May 10, for the annual E. Grey Dimond, M.D., Take Wing Award lecture given by this year’s recipient, Catherine Spong (B.A. ’91/M.D. ’91). Each year, the honor is given to a graduate who has demonstrated excellence in their chosen field and exceeded expectations of peers in the practice of medicine, academic medicine or research.
Spong refers to herself as a physician-scientist with a career dedicated to advancing women’s and children’s health. A graduate of UMKC’s signature six-year B.A./M.D. program, Spong specialized in obstetrics and gynecology for her residency at UCLA before completing a maternal-fetal medicine fellowship at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Maryland.
Spong served as the deputy director for the National Institute of Health for 23 years, until she accepted a position as chief of maternal fetal medicine and vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT-Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Spong has published more than 290 peer-reviewed papers and cemented herself as a leading voice in women’s health, child health and pregnancy.
“She is emblematic of the best and brightest of us,” said School of Medicine Dean Alexander Norbash (B.A./M.D. ’86), M.S., FACR.
Spong’s Take Wing Award lecture, titled “The Importance of Inclusion, Research and Lessons Learned,” showcased her spirit of curiosity and resilience that she brings to her work in a new era of medical research for pregnant and nursing women.
According to Spong, more than 59% of the United States population is commonly not represented in research. Children, elderly, pregnant and disabled people often receive care that is not beneficial to them.
“Are we comfortable with 59% of our population not even being studied?” Spong asked.
The mission of her career is to change that. Her goal is to lower that percentage through research that informs medical practices. For example, she performs studies that help rewrite precision care practices for marginalized groups.
Spong capped off her lecture with her top five pieces of advice to any young medical student:
- “Find opportunities for yourself.“
- “Communicate with intent. Explain why you’re asking a question. It’s unfair to make someone assume.”
- “Your job is not your life, nor should it be. Anyone can do your job. Only you get to be the family, spouse, parent and friend to the people in your life.”
- “Leverage opportunities. See what others are doing. How can you model their work to do your own?“
- “Remember that as a leader what you talk about matters. What a leader says in a group carries ‘a different weight.’ What you say, and how you say it, is important. “
