by Samantha Baker, Marketing and Communications Specialist, Greater Waco Chamber
People often romanticize being a doctor - think shows like Grey’s Anatomy and ER. But, as many people who work in healthcare know, being a doctor is actually an intense, exhaustive and often dirty line of work. After talking to Dr. Soo Battle, it’s obvious that being a doctor is also highly rewarding and fulfilling in many ways. Soo grew up in Austin and met her husband, now Dr. Jake Battle, in high school. They attended the University of Texas together, where they both decided to pursue careers in medicine. She knew from a young age that she wanted to work with kids; that, paired with her interest in medicine, started her on her journey to becoming a pediatrician. After graduating from the University of Texas, Soo earned her medical degree and graduated from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (UTMB Galveston) in 2000, while her husband Jake earned his medical degree in Dallas. Before they started their respective residency programs, hers in pediatrics and his in orthopedic surgery, the two squeezed in a wedding and a honeymoon. “I graduated from medical school one Saturday, we got married the next Saturday, and he graduated from medical school the following Saturday,” said Soo. “We went on a four-day honeymoon and then we started our residencies in Galveston.” 28 | WINTER 2018
After her three-year pediatrics residency at UTMB Galveston, Soo was a faculty member in the pediatric emergency room. Soon after she began that program, she gave birth to her first child, Sam, in 2003. Jake finished his residency in 2005, and at that point, a friend of his recommended he look at Waco if he was interested in pursuing orthopedic surgery. “At this point, I said, ‘Waco is the place we stop for gas when we’re driving from Austin to Dallas,’” Soo said with a laugh. “I said, ‘Go for it, go interview, see if you like it.’” Jake interviewed at the Waco Orthopedic Clinic. He also interviewed for a job in San Marcos. “We’re from Austin, so San Marcos sounded really nice, it’s close to Austin, our families are both in Austin,” said Soo. Jake loved his interview at Waco Orthopedic but ended up accepting the job in San Marcos. However, when contract negotiations didn’t work out, Jake recalled how great his interview in Waco was, so Soo agreed to go to Waco with him for a second interview. “I remember coming here, and one of the Waco Orthopedic partner’s wives was the mayor, Linda Ethridge,” Soo recalled. “She and Nancy Goodnight, who’s basically an ambassador for Waco, gave me a tour. I had the best two tour guides ever, and I decided, ‘This is doable, Waco is doable.’ So Jake took the job and we moved here in 2005.” After their move to Waco, Soo decided to take some time off work and had her second child, Brooke. During that time off, she started getting involved in Waco, joining the Junior League, volunteering on the board of directors at the Advocacy Center, and getting involved in the McLennan County Medical Alliance -- there was
