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At Baylor Scott & White in Dallas, a new class of physicians confronts a looming doctor shortage

A $10 million endowment from the T. Boone Pickens Foundation will help Baylor fund residencies, fellowships, research and educational opportunities for future docs.

DALLAS — Brett Johnson of Plano knew relatively early on that he wanted to be a physician. 

But it wasn't until a life-changing event in 2020 that he decide upon on his concentration.

"It certainly changed the trajectory of both our lives," said Dr. Johnson, a second-year surgical resident at Baylor Scott & White  in Dallas. 

In 2020, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"Some of the most difficult moments in our lives happened here," Dr. Johnson said from the Dallas medical facility, "but also some of the most inspirational, some of the most moving."

Dr. Johnson is one of 311 residents and fellows at Baylor University Medical Center who are just beginning to navigate the ever-changing medical landscape. 

Experts believe doctors like him are an increasing rarity, and that the country will be facing a doctor shortage in 10 years.

"The shortage is real, and it is looming and [it] is imminent," said Dr. Cristie Columbus, Baylor University Medical Center's vice president of medical education. 

Dr. Columbus believes that, by 2032, the country will be short 124,000 doctors -- and that the shortage could total 10,000 doctors in Texas alone. 

The majority of the physician shortages are across primary care, Columbus said. And while there are several factors leading to the shortage, he said the primary reason is an aging population.

"We'll have more people over the age of 65 than we'll have under 17," said Dr. Columbus.

It's the reason Dr. Columbus and Dr. Johnson are both thankful for a recent endowment announcement: Baylor University Medical Center is receiving $10 million from the T. Boone Pickens Foundation.

"It really underscores the importance of philanthropy in expanding education opportunities for graduate medical education," said Dr. Columbus.

The endowment will help fund residencies, fellowships, research and other educational opportunities for resident and fellowship students at the academic medical center. The opportunities provided by the endowment can also help a resident like Dr. Johnson, who says the shortage is in the back of all their minds.

"A shortage of physicians really translates to a shortage of care for the communities those physicians are in," said Dr. Johnson.

Fast-forward three years, and Dr. Johnson's wife is cancer-free. He's still eight years from fully practicing, though. 

Still, he and many other young residents are the answer to the shortage -- and the endowments that support them.

"I really want to treat cancer," said Dr. Johnson. "I really want to treat breast cancer."

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