SALISBURY A Statesville High School graduate who dreamed of becoming a doctor as a child, in part because of a relative who was a physician, attended the Divisional Academic Ceremony at the University of Chicagos Pritzker School of Medicine last month.

Chris Smyre, the oldest son of Bishop Russell L. and Patricia Smyre, participated in the hooding ceremony on May 26 in the Rockefeller Chapel on the University of Chicagos campus. He was joined by his wife, Benjellica, his brothers Russell Smyre Jr. and Scott Smyre, his maternal grandfather Lovie B. Reid Sr. and his parents.

I have wanted to be a doctor since I was very young, Smyre, 28, said in an interview just days before the ceremony. Growing up I saw my great-uncle, who was a doctor, utilize the biopsychosocial model to help family members understand their conditions and their physicians rationale for their treatment plan. My great-uncle bridged the gap between what my family knew and what they needed to know.

From him I learned the importance of carefully tailored communication with people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, Smyre continued. As a family medicine physician, I want to provide holistic care utilizing the cultural and social aspects of the patient to enhance the physician-patient relationship and address their healthcare needs.

Smyre attended Statesville Christian School during his freshman and sophomore years, Victory Christian Center in Charlotte during his junior year and graduated from Statesville High School in 2006. He earned his bachelors degree in chemistry, with a focus in biochemistry and biophysics, from Wake Forest University in 2010. He will continue his training to become a family medicine doctor by doing his residency at Northwestern McGaw Erie Family Health Center in Chicago.

Being a family medicine physician will position me to assist my patients in efficiently navigating and properly utilizing the healthcare system, he said. I am passionate about working with underserved populations and doing research aimed at eliminating healthcare disparities on individual and community based levels.

On Saturday, Smyre will graduate magna cum laude from the Pritzker School of Medicine, ranked 15th best in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Smyre is the Pritzker School of Medicines 2017 recipient of the Departmental Award for Outstanding Performance in the field of family medicine.

Dr. Sonia P. Oyola, director of the Family Medicine Clerkship at the University of Chicagos Pritzker School of Medicine, said Smyre was an easy choice.

Chris embodies what family medicine is, which is whole patient care, Oyola said. Hes focused not only on the disease or the problem the patient might be presenting with, but also on

the patient himself as a whole. Chris has always demonstrated that. Hes a leader, hes community service minded and he looks very deeply inside social issues, which is something that our field is constantly managing.

Oyola said Smyre demonstrated a desire and a passion to learn more about the links between mental healthcare and primary healthcare, something that is strongly emphasized in the family medicine field.

Chris is very compassionate and very patient and community centered, she continued. Hes just an amazing student that goes beyond learning only about the biomedicalHe delves deeply into the spiritual and mental well-being of his patients as well.

Smyre enjoyed the hooding ceremony and is excited about beginning the next phase of his career as a doctor.

He credits his parents for their unwavering love, support and encouragement and for teaching him about The Lord. His father is Pastor of The Fathers House of Glory, Inc. in Salisbury and director of facilities for Gaston College in Dallas, North Carolina. His mother is a full-time Ph.D. student at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, working toward a doctorate in Leadership Studies in Higher Education in the Community College track.

My parents taught me that I am valuable and have purpose independent of anything I accomplish or do, Smyre said. I also appreciate the way they modeled strong work values and instilled a belief in me, my brothers and our sister Teadora S. Williams that if we put our minds to it and work hard, we can achieve anything.

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Statesville High School graduate finishing medical school in Chicago - Statesville Record & Landmark