Catching up with Dr. Allison Cobb Barrett '95

Catching up with Dr. Allison Cobb Barrett ’95

By Katie Hammett, Director of The Trinity Fund and Major Gifts

Allison Barrett, MD, serves as an attending physician and the Emergency Medicine Clerkship Director for fourth-year medical students. We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Dr. Allison Cobb Barrett ’95, who shared with us how Trinity helped inspire her choice to pursue a career in medicine and recalled some of her fondest memories as a Trinity student.

Q: Tell us about your time at Trinity, what are some of your favorite Trinity memories?

A: I started Trinity in 1988 when I was fi ve years old. The highlight of Kindergarten was probably the Halloween parade; I will never forget seeing my teacher, Miss Kim, dressed as a witch with warts and a life-like prosthetic nose! Second Grade was my absolute favorite. Ms. Hansen helped ignite my passion for science; not only did she help me start a killer rock collection, but our class had a pet chameleon, we got to experiment with paper-mache volcanoes, and we took a fi eld trip to the zoo! In Fourth Grade with Mrs. Burris, I was introduced to basic physics and algebra for the fi rst time. This further solidifi ed my interest in math and science. I remember learning how to cook a hot dog in science class using only a mirror, a coat hanger, aluminum foil, and a little help from the sun. In Sixth Grade, we were fi nally the big kids. Our trip to Jekyll Island is one of my all-time favorite childhood memories and top Trinity experiences! I’ll never forget camping under moss-covered trees, hiking through marshes and covering ourselves in mud, enjoying the sundrenched beaches, scaling an obstacle course, and relying on my classmates to catch me in the trust fall. I remember

singing “Lean on Me” with my classmates at our graduation party as some of us teared up, reluctant to leave Trinity behind but well-prepared for our futures ahead.

Q: Where did you go when you left Trinity?

A: I graduated from Trinity in 1995 and attended Westminster, graduating high school in 2001. From there, it was on to Davidson College in North Carolina, where I majored in psychology with a focus in premedical sciences. After graduating from Davidson in 2005, I took a “gap year” before medical school to complete my premedical courses, take my Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), work in a laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and backpack through Spain with my best friend. I started medical school at Emory University School of Medicine in 2006. I met my sweet husband, Austin, at the end of my first year of medical school. He was a fourth-year medical student who was two weeks shy of graduating and starting a residency in orthopedic surgery in Jackson, Mississippi; not the best timing, but he was “the one.” In 2010, Austin proposed, and I joined him in Jackson, where I attended residency in emergency medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. I was offered a faculty position in 2014 and have remained there since as an attending physician and as the emergency medicine clerkship director for fourth-year medical students.

Q: What inspired you to become a doctor?

A: I didn’t always know that I wanted to attend medical school, nor did my decision arise out of a single life-altering experience. Rather, my attraction to the medical profession came into greater focus with each new medical experience and with each new academic opportunity in science. I continuously enjoyed the sciences and mathematics more than other subjects and subsequently earned my highest grades in those courses. One summer in high school, I decided to work at a hospital to surround myself with medical professionals and learn more about their careers. With the help of my mentor and friend, Dr. Pat Meadors, I became a clinical partner in the emergency department at Piedmont Hospital, shadowing doctors daily and observing many medical procedures. Rather than being repulsed by the sights and smells of the ED, I found myself drawing closer out of curiosity. I began to look forward to each new opportunity to speak with the doctors and watch them work.

While attending college, I had opportunities to shadow a neonatologist and a general surgeon through Davidson’s Physician Mentor Program. While working with these doctors, I observed several traits that inspired me. The seemingly most effective doctors exhibited compassion for patients and interacted with non-judgmental attitudes. I admired the teamwork I saw at play while observing various procedures. I began to see certain doctors as my role models and to hope to care for people in this way in the future.

In a medical sociology course in college, my professor showed our class an intriguing documentary entitled “So You Want to Be a Doctor?” Several medical students were interviewed in the film, and I completely identified with their enthusiasm. It was as if everything clicked—my attraction to science, a desire to help others in their most vulnerable moment, and to care for others in a hands-on manner—and I realized I wanted to pursue a career in medicine.

Q: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted how you work?

A: I am an emergency physician in Mississippi’s only academic level one trauma center. When I say that the pandemic has affected every single aspect of work, this is not an understatement. Meetings and lectures have been virtual since March 2020. I mentor medical students over the phone rather than in person. The hospital has been at full capacity since the pandemic began as well. This greatly impacts the flow of the emergency department and the ability to care for patients, not only those with the virus, but with other diseases as well. When the ED does not have enough beds, it means the waiting room builds up and patient care is delayed. It means we cannot accept transfers from other hospitals. It means caring for critical patients where we can find space. I have treated gunshot wound victims in the hallway and stroke patients in triage bays. Not only do my colleagues and I wear masks at all times, we also now gown up, glove up, and wear eye protection when we care for patients with suspected COVID. There is also the heightened anxiety surrounding the virus. We worry about contracting COVID. We worry about giving it to our loved ones unknowingly. We worry about how it will affect our residents’ and students’ education and mental health. Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel given the vaccines that have been developed. I have now completed the full Pfizer vaccination course, and so have most of my colleagues. We are grateful and hopeful that we are turning a corner and that life will go back to normal soon, for ourselves, our families, and our patients.

Q: What advice would you give Trinity’s students who may be interested in a career in medicine?

A: Study hard and keep your grades up, especially in science and math. Find a physician mentor and shadow physicians early and often. Become involved in leadership positions at school or in church. Volunteer your time helping others and participate in community service. Consider an after-school or weekend job; this will teach you a lot about people and the value of a dollar. Keep track of all your experiences with regards to the above, as your college and medical school applications will require a timeline of your commitments outside of school. Lastly, live life a little

before starting medical school and residency. For instance, consider a year off to travel, work or pursue another passion. Once you get to medical school, it will be an intense, but worthwhile, four years and beyond.

Q: What aspects of your job do you fi nd the most rewarding or fulfi lling?

A: As an emergency medicine physician, I treat anyone and everyone who shows up to the emergency department with a medical or psychiatric complaint. Some patients are very sick, while others are not and simply need some reassurance and outpatient follow-up. When I arrive for my shift, I don’t have any idea what will come through the door that day, which is one aspect of emergency medicine I love. Each day is a blank slate, or mystery, and I have to make decisions in real time based on my training and skills. It is fast-paced, exciting, and defi nitely a team sport. It is an honor to care for anyone who seeks my help, and it’s very fulfi lling to be able to help someone when they need it the most. The most rewarding cases are those in which my ED interventions truly change a patient’s outcome. For instance, the patient with anaphylactic shock who receives epinephrine, Benadryl and steroids and is asking to go home several hours later after almost dying. While not every patient in the ED has a life-threatening condition, I’ve never left a shift thinking to myself, “I did not help anyone today.”

Q: What are you most proud of?

A: I’ve been so incredibly blessed throughout my life with amazing parents, friends, teachers, mentors, and a wonderful church family. I cannot take credit for where I am in life without recognizing the important role that others have played. I am especially grateful for the values instilled in me by my parents, my church, Trinity, and Westminster: putting my faith in God, respecting others and myself, and giving back to the community. They say that too whom much is given, much will be expected. I am most proud that I am able to help others using the education and gifts I have received.

Q: What else do you enjoy doing outside of work?

A: My husband and I have a two-year-old daughter, Anna, and a one-year-old son, Taylor. They are everything to us. Aside from spending time with family and being constantly entertained, I enjoy playing in a tennis league, pickleball, walking/running, yoga, Pilates, traveling, collecting art, abstract painting, live music, festivals, cooking, and nutrition.

Q: Do you keep up with any of your Trinity classmates?

A: Yes! Old friends are the best friends, and Trinity friendships last a lifetime. Jennifer White Hocutt ’95, Sally Wood ’95, Catherine Overend Stewart ’95, Anne Zimmerman Hawkins ’95, Meredith Bailey Simmons ’95, Luke Sebel ’95, Bubba Beasley ’95, and Barclay Taylor ’95 just to name a few.

Q: Is there anything else you would like us to know?

A: I am so fortunate and proud to have attended Trinity and would absolutely send my kids there if we lived in Atlanta. Reminiscing for this article has been an enjoyable walk down memory lane, and I feel so lucky to be a part of the Trinity community.

Allison is pictured with her husband, Austin, and their two-year-old daughter, Anna, and oneyear-old son, Taylor.