Future doctors make their mark at sites across Cook Children’s Health Care System, where they engage with patients, conduct research and practice their clinical skills.

From the outpatient clinics to the operating rooms and Emergency Department, medical students at Cook Children’s are shown the best practices of pediatric health care in hands-on experiences beyond the classroom.

There were almost 900 medical student rotations from four medical schools at Cook Children’s in the 2023-2024 school year. Students at one of those schools, the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University (TCU), are placed at Cook Children’s at least once during their four-year education

For primary training in the various medical specialties and surgery, the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU uses a unique and innovative model designed to provide long and potentially broad encounters with the same patients over an extended period.

Hannah Fouts Smitherman, M.D., Pediatric Clerkship Director at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, works in the Emergency Department (ED) at Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth. Because she has roles in both organizations, she has a unique vantage point for recruiting her hospital colleagues as preceptors, another name for teachers.

“The relationship with Cook Children’s is so pivotal, and our preceptors are amazing educators,” Dr. Smitherman said. “We really couldn’t do it without them.”

Before Nicole Jamieson, M.D., graduated in May 2024, she honed her research know-how by analyzing data related to a specific endocrine disorder, alongside Don Wilson, M.D.

Dr. Jamieson also spent time in Cardiology; Hematology/Oncology; Ear, Nose and Throat; and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She observed how physicians, nurses, dietitians, child life specialists and other staff take a team approach.

“I learned so much about what it means to take care of the whole child and the whole family,” Dr. Jamieson said. “I was inspired across the board by how they make the child feel comfortable, the families feel comfortable. Everyone goes above and beyond to make sure everyone feels understood.”

Construction has wrapped up on the new Burnett School of Medicine medical education building named Arnold Hall just a few blocks from our medical center at the corner of South Henderson and West Rosedale streets. Welcoming the medical school to the Medical Innovation District, we want to spotlight the track record of collaboration between TCU and Cook Children’s. Here’s a closer look.

Research and Specialties

During the 2023-2024 academic year, students from the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU contributed across Cook Children’s:   

• 20 students in Special Projects & Thesis research
• 44 students immersed with hospitalists, NICU and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
• 27 students in outpatient clinic rotations lasting 40 weeks
• 55 elective rotations in 34 pediatric specialties
• 4 students in psychiatry, neurology and trauma surgery  

One notable example of surgery instruction: two TCU medical students were present in the operating room during the complex and history-making separation of conjoined twins in January 2023.

“We start students seeing patients from Day One so they can start to assimilate the anatomy and physiology they’re learning in the classroom,” Dr. Smitherman said.

She mentors students in the Cook Children’s ED, where they learn to do resuscitations by shadowing the staff. Many parents appreciate the chance to share their point of view, she said. And some children in the ED enjoy showing off their injuries.

“I explain that they’re helping train a doctor, and they puff up with pride,” Dr. Smitherman said.  

Deep and strong ties form between the preceptors and the medical students they mentor.

“It’s a true apprenticeship that fosters the development of the whole physician. They’re not just teaching the skills – it’s the professionalism, it’s how the office works. They get to know the office staff and the families because they get to see repeat patients,” Dr. Smitherman said.

Sandra Peak, M.D. trains TCU medical students at Cook Children’s Pediatrics Lewisville-Castle Hills for 40 weeks. Students see continuity when patients come more than once for routine checkups and sick care. A student might meet a 2-month-old baby, for instance, and then see the same baby again at the 4-month, 6-month and 9-month visits. 

What’s one memory that sticks with her? Seeing an amazed look of understanding when a student in her clinic heard pneumonia in a child’s lungs for the first time.

“His face got concerned, and it was like watching the moment the student become a doctor. It was like a shooting star,” she recalled. “The students bring fresh eyes to things you’ve seen as a doctor over and over again. It’s hard not to be inspired by people who are that excited.” 

Empathetic Scholars®

The Burnett School of Medicine at TCU aims to instill compassion and an aptitude for communication in its students, an approach the school calls Empathetic Scholars®.

Dr. Jamieson said she saw empathy displayed in the Cook Children’s NICU. She remembers in particular one NICU patient who didn’t have family support.

“The nurses and physicians and every ancillary staff loved on this baby and treated him as if he was their own,” she said. “They made sure he was receiving optimal care. People advocated for him as if his family was there.”

Grace Newell, M.D. did research and rotations at Cook Children’s before graduating from the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU in 2023. Her two research projects – in conjunction with Christos Papadelis, Ph.D. and Scott Perry, M.D. – dealt with aspects of epilepsy. The research ignited her passion for child neurology. 

Spirit of Collaboration

James Marshall, M.D. serves as a professor and the academic chair of Pediatrics at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. Most of the approximately 300 faculty members in his department are Cook Children’s physicians – including Dr. Marshall, a Pediatric Critical Care Medicine subspecialist.

Dr. Marshall highlighted the scholarly output that results from the four-year research projects the TCU students conduct at Cook Children’s and other sites. Students develop a hypothesis, pursue the research with the one-on-one assistance of a mentor, and even have their work published or presented nationally. 

“Young people just have that mental plasticity and the time and opportunity to develop questions with physicians,” Dr. Marshall said. “That coming together of young minds and trained wise minds is just super fertile.”

Students aren’t the only ones who value the relationships that develop during medical education. Preceptors appreciate the chance to nurture the up-and-coming doctors. They tell Dr. Marshall that mentoring gives them joy and keeps them sharp. 

The only way to guarantee a steady supply of health care professionals is to train them, he pointed out. There’s still work to do, but Dr. Marshall predicts North Texas will be a leader in forming and retaining the medical professionals of tomorrow. 

“Cook Children’s and the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU have collaborated beautifully on an incredible elevator ride. Who knows where the top is together with the other health care systems in our region?”