The Making of a Small-Town Doctor

Will Hannah has always been interested in science, but it wasn’t until recently that he decided to channel that interest into the field of medicine. When he was very young, Will’s grandmother read to him from the encyclopedia, usually entries about the solar system or dinosaurs. And when it came to television for the little tyke, Bill Nye the Science Guy was his favorite. So it’s no surprise to anyone who knows him, that Will is studying biology at Carolina.  

After his first cell biology class, Will was intrigued about cellular signaling in plants and spoke with the professor, Dr. Alan Jones, about working in Jones’ lab. Eager to have undergraduates learn about science through research, Jones assigned to Will the task of identifying chemicals that work through G-protein signaling in plants.

As it turns out, there are a number of human diseases that work through G-protein signaling, for example cholera and whooping cough. Therefore, finding out more about this process in plants could possibly improve medical treatment for people.

Will’s interest in scientific research thrived in the lab setting and his work allowed him to develop an appreciation of the direct correlation between research and medicine. Then Will volunteered in a medical clinic where he could job shadow physicians at work, and it clicked. Medicine was the route for him.

While it took a bit of exploration to discover which career would be the best fit for himself, Will has always wanted to live in a small town like his home town of Salisbury. So after he graduates in 2007, Will plans to pursue getting a medical degree so that he can practice pediatrics or family medicine right in his own hometown. Wonder if he’ll make house calls?

Awards: National Science Foundation-Research Experience for Undergraduate Program Grant

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