How an Interaction with Empathetic ER Physician After Grandfather’s Death Led to a Path in Medicine


My Journey to Medical School Video Series features Cort Ewing, MS3 at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

By Lewis Jackson

Photo Credit: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU

Cort Ewing, MS-3  

Hometown: Colleyville, TX  

Why do you want to be a doctor? 

“My grandfather passed away from a heart attack.  My dad spoke about how the doctor took time to sit down and talk to him about what was going on and about a peewee baseball league, which they played on 40 years earlier.  It meant so much to my dad because of the human connection.  It made me think that I could make a big difference in the lives of others.  That doctor, by the way, was Dr. (Terence) McCarthy.” Dr. McCarthy is the John M. Geesbreght M.D., M.S., FACEP, Chair of Emergency Medicine for the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.

Why did you choose the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU?  

“Getting that early clinical experience was important to me and beneficial to learning.  I felt it was great to get that in the first two years and get that meaningful experience.”

What’s one thing your classmates don’t know about you?  

“I took some floral design classes and got good at making floral arrangements. It was fun.”

What’s next for you in your medical journey? 

“I am going to do some away rotations in Otolaryngology, head and neck surgery.  I’m going to the University of Kansas, University of Kentucky, Alabama-Birmingham, and UT Southwestern and I’m beyond excited.  I’m looking forward to seeing how other programs operate and showing how Burnett School of Medicine at TCU is training our students.”