ASPIRING DOCTOR FINDS MENTORSHIP, INSPIRATION AND REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE AT UM
MISSOULA – When Wyatt Walters retires, he hopes to reflect on his life as one that’s been in service to others. That is, if he isn’t too busy starting a whole new career.
A senior University of Montana biology student with a biochemistry minor, Walters also is completing a Franke Global Leadership Initiative certificate and is in the Davidson Honors College. His resume includes working with patients in an Alzheimer's care center and helping research the disease at the McLaughlin Research Institute, volunteering for youth organizations such as Flagship, tutoring students in chemistry with UM Study Jam and serving as a certified nursing assistant.
The common thread between all of Walters’ pursuits? Each build on his dream of becoming a pediatrician serving children in rural Montana.
“Kids crack me up, they’re so darn funny,” Walters said. “It never feels like work.”
Finding curiosity and joy in what, to many, would feel like work is part of what drives Walters’ success in his numerous ambitions. But his career dreams stem deeper into his roots, reaching all the way back to his childhood. Walters grew up on a cattle ranch in Vaughn, a small town near Great Falls, raised by two parents who both worked as medical professionals.
Like most rural parts of the country, primary care in remote areas of the state lag behind urban centers – and the need for pediatric care is even more acute. General pediatricians per 100,000 residents numbered fewer than eight in rural communities compared to nearly 15 in urban parts of Montana in 2021, according to a University of Washington report. Walters hopes to attend medical school at UW as part of WWAMI, a multi-state medical education program to alleviate health care shortages in rural Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.
Walters wasn’t always enthusiastic about living in a rural community, but he came to appreciate his hometown. When he wasn’t helping out on the ranch, he spent his childhood skiing, hiking and fishing in his backyard on the Sun River.
“Looking back on it, I'm super lucky,” Walters said. “I really love Montana.”
While growing up with parents who both work in the medical field may make it seem that Walters was predestined to become a doctor, he said his parents helped cultivate his aspirations but never pushed him into pursuing a career as a physician. They supported his natural interests in medicine, biology and helping others, encouraging him to become a better student of science.
That innate scientific curiosity was further cemented at Great Falls Central Catholic High School. Walters took an AP biology class with Kris Warren, a science teacher who would go on to serve as both a source of inspiration and a role model for Walters. Warren taught him to think of the human body as a puzzle to be solved – an idea that he found captivating. When college approached, Walters decided to become a lifelong student of science.
Walters is the first to admit that UM wasn’t his initial pick, but upon stepping on campus for a tour, he was met with a welcoming atmosphere and supportive faculty and staff in the DHC and pre-medical sciences program. Walters realized attending UM meant gaining a team of people who would help him succeed.
“I realized that if I needed assistance, they would have my back,” he said.
That team of people came to include DHC faculty member Dr. Bruce Hardy, who taught Walters in his Ways of Knowing course freshman year.
“Wyatt was outstanding from the day he walked into class,” Hardy said.
Hardy hasn’t had Walters in his class for three years, but his immediate enthusiasm and thoughtfulness left an impression that lasted after the semester ended. Their shared interests led Hardy to continue mentoring Walters throughout his academic journey. Hardy worked as a pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist for about 40 years before joining DHC faculty, giving him unique insight into how to prepare Walters for success after UM.
Hardy said he’s confident Walters will graduate prepared to become a great pediatrician – not only because he has the smarts to do well on his exams but, more importantly, because of his compassionate temperament and genuine curiosity.
“Lots of students can learn a lot and memorize, but Wyatt is curious about human nature and doing the right thing,” Hardy said. “I know he will be an amazing pediatrician. He is made for this career.”
Coming to UM also allowed Walters to test his ambitions himself, taking him out of the familiarity of Montana and into rural villages around Kabale, Uganda, for a medical internship. The experience was part of completing the GLI certificate’s Beyond the Classroom learning requirement.
Volunteering at pop-up HIV and maternal clinics, Walters spent last summer rising early to care for long lines of patients while making due with a lack of resources. The highlight of the internship was watching a doctor safely perform a cesarean delivery of a premature baby. Walters said the opportunity was a teaching moment he’ll never forget. The experience confirmed he’s on the right track, and inspired him to join Doctors Without Borders someday in the future.
But for now, Walters plans to take a gap year after graduation to earn his EMT license before applying to medical school. He’s already started studying for the MCAT.
Walters has his “retirement plan” figured out, too: teaching high school biology and inspiring more students to love science.
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Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM director of strategic communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu.