'Memorial really prepared me well,' says MD graduate and Rhodes scholar
As he graduates this week with his doctor of medicine degree, Dr. Matthew Downer is feeling reflective and grateful.
His journey at Memorial University spans more than a decade, beginning with a B.Sc.(Hons.) in psychology (neuroscience) in 2013.
“Everyone in my family went to Memorial and I always wanted to stay home to pursue my advanced education,” said Dr. Downer, who will collect his degree on the St. John’s Arts and Culture stage on Thursday, May 29. “Memorial gave me such a wealth of opportunities from the outset.”
Making a difference
Those opportunities included working with the Faculty of Medicine’s Dr. Michelle Ploughman on multiple sclerosis and stroke recovery research and a semester at American University in Washington, D.C., as a Fulbright Killam Fellow.
Those experiences, plus volunteering and coaching with the St. John’s Special Olympics and Easter Seals NL, moved him to consider a meaningful career that could make a positive difference in the lives of others.
“I’ve also had family members live with neurological diseases. All of that together inspired me to pursue medicine and clinical research, particularly neurorehabilitation, to work with patients to try to improve their functional ability and quality of life.”
The road to Rhodes
After being accepted into the Faculty of Medicine and completing his first two years of his MD program, his path took a detour when he was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.
He spent the next four years at the University of Oxford, completing a master of science in global health science and epidemiology degree and a D.Phil. (PhD) in clinical neurosciences with Prof. Peter Rothwell and the Oxford Vascular Study team.
“I really loved the MD program, but I realized that there was another element I really wanted to pursue and that was research,” he said. “I’m very thankful to have had the chance to immerse myself in that environment and participate in groundbreaking clinical research. Memorial really prepared me well for all the experiences I had there.”
Incredible support
Upon his return to the province, Dr. Downer rejoined the MD program with the full support of his faculty and classmates.
“It was a bit daunting at times, coming back to clinical training after four years away, but everyone was incredibly supportive. I was able to take what I had learned from a research perspective and apply that in clinic. I also learned a lot working with patients that I tried to apply to research aimed at driving patient care forward.”
This summer, Dr. Downer heads to the University of Toronto to begin a five-year residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation, also known as physiatry.
“An MD-PhD route is certainly a long one, and a few people have joked that it will be nice when I finally have a job,” he said. “But hopefully others will hear my story and know it is possible to take a step out of your MD program to pursue something that you’re interested in. I’m very grateful to Memorial for allowing me the opportunity to follow my dreams.”