UT Health Science Center Pediatric Physician Recognized for Championing Community Care

Desiree Burroughs-Ray, MD, is committed to improving health care both inside the hospital and out.

"I really like to look at health on a community level," she said. "Seeing how we can impact the health of our patients not just in the clinic or hospital, but also by connecting with the people they live with and in the communities where they live and work."

Dr. Burroughs-Ray, an associate professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine and physician at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, was among the recipients of The Greater Memphis Chamber's Next-Gen 10 Awards during a ceremony Thursday, Nov. 6. The awards highlight 10 young professionals with exceptional achievements in their careers and community involvement as well as a commitment to the region's growth.

The university's award nomination letter praised Dr. Burroughs-Ray for her multifaceted contributions to Memphis, UT Health Science Center, and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Le Bonheur is the university's primary pediatric clinical and teaching hospital.

"Dr. Burroughs-Ray is a remarkably accomplished doctor giving compassionate and specialized care to sick children, and who also continually volunteers her time and talents to our Memphis communities," UT Health Science Center Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, wrote in the nomination. "Her commitment to improving health care outcomes and promoting wellness among her fellow medical professionals, and the extent of her academic work in Memphis and Shelby County as well as at state, regional, and national levels so early in her professional career, is genuinely staggering. We are very proud of her and her tremendous work."

Dr. Burroughs-Ray said the honor is "humbling and a little overwhelming." However, she's glad to feel her efforts are making a difference beyond herself and the clinical care setting.

Advancing Clinical Excellence While Championing Wellness

Dr. Burroughs-Ray joined the university in 2020 as an assistant professor and combined internal medicine and pediatric hospitalist. She's now an associate professor and the associate program director of the Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency program as well as a faculty advisor for the Internal Medicine Resident Wellness Committee. She also serves as chair of the Graduate Medical Education Well-being Subcommittee and practices at Regional One Health and Le Bonheur, where she was named the Healthy Homes Physician Champion.

Her clinical work has extended to helping disseminate the standards for treatment of thromboembolisms (when a blood clot forms in a blood vessel and travels to another part of the body, blocking blood flow), improving the hospital care patients receive.

Recently, she received a University of Tennessee Wellness Mini Grant, which invest in bold, student-centered ideas that promote sustainable well-being across UT campuses. Her project is called New and Expecting Student/Trainee Parent Support (NEST), and it will build peer networks and resources for medical trainees navigating parenthood.

From the Arkansas Delta to Stanford and Back to Service

Raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dr. Burroughs-Ray found a desire for serving underserved communities early on. After obtaining her undergraduate degree in human biology at Stanford University, she worked as an outreach specialist in the Arkansas Delta, focusing on educating patients to reduce mortality differences in bowel cancer.

She obtained a joint doctor of medicine and master of public health degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, addressing the impact of home environments on children's health and development as she created an innovative healthy home curriculum with the Home Instructions for Parents of Preschool Youth program.

Dr. Burroughs-Ray attended UT Health Science Center for her residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics, graduating in 2019. She was then selected as chief resident for internal medicine, where she was responsible for teaching, supervising, and managing others as well as acting as a role model and mentor for residents and medical students. As chief resident, she conducted a resident wellness needs assessment and developed a resident wellness committee to support her colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When I was looking at residency programs, I needed somewhere I was going to feel supported," Dr. Burroughs-Ray said. "Where there were people who weren't going to make me feel less than when asking stupid questions. And because I was moving away from Little Rock, there was a good chance I wasn't going to know anyone in this new place."

A University That Felt Like Home

At the time, interviews were in-person and she was meeting many people in different places. While in Memphis, she said she saw first-hand how well the College of Medicine leadership interacted with residents, plus how approaching and helpful the faculty and staff were.

"There are good people here who encourage me and challenge me," she said. "I'm very fortunate to have found UT Health Science Center. I saw that on the interview trail, and then being here, I've continued to feel that way."

A City That Provides Both Roots and Wings

Becoming a Memphian fit her goals well, she said.

"It's an eclectic collection of people, and Memphis does such an amazing job of welcoming them and helping them feel integrated into the community. Memphis has a rich history, and it also draws a lot of young professionals for jobs and other opportunities.

"I think that's captured by this chamber award. It shows Memphis' homegrown talent, those who came to Memphis to put down roots, those coming behind us, and the overall next generation adding to the culture, that next group of individuals who will help shape the city."