Vivian Porche, M.D., ’85, named distinguished alumna
The medical director of anesthesia at MD Anderson’s Proton Therapy Center, Vivian Porche, M.D., ’85, has been named the 2012 Distinguished Alumnus/a of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
“I was shocked, elated, overwhelmed, humbled, and I started crying when I found out because I was so excited,” she said. “I was nominated once before, and since then my mother has passed away. I wish she was here to share it with me because I remember the struggle it was to become a doctor, and my parents there with me, pushing me, helping me.”
Established in 1987, the purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding contributions of alumni in the areas of medical science and education, or the prevention and treatment of diseases, as well as continued interests in the Medical School and its students.
“Whether it is in the operating room, at a committee meeting, or a community event, Dr. Porche brings a positive energy, a reassuring confidence, and a trusted competence to her patients, colleagues and associates,” wrote her nominator.
Earning her bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin, Porche completed her anesthesia residency at Baylor College of Medicine and a cardiovascular anesthesiology fellowship at Methodist Hospital prior to completing a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital. Following her training, she joined MD Anderson in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, where she has worked since.
It was the camaraderie she had with her classmates that Porche said she remembers most about her days as a Medical School student.
“I remember venting with my fellow classmates at the end of the day in the comfortable chairs of the Leather Lounge,” she recalled. “I also remember vividly and fondly the small group we had with Dr. Smalling and how scared I was going down to the gross anatomy lab on Friday evenings to study. I persuaded my boyfriend, who is now my husband, to go down there with me.”
Porche has served as the director and a member of the Acute Pain Service at MD Anderson for more than 10 years. She initiated and directed the Sedation Service to help decrease pediatric patients’ feelings of pain and fear. The service grew from taking care of a few children into a hospital-wide service for both children and adults.
Porche holds the distinction of being the first African-American woman faculty member at MD Anderson to be promoted to professor, and she was appointed the Proton Therapy Center’s first medical director of anesthesia.
Her medical school training “absolutely” prepared her for her career as a physician, she said. “Maybe it is why I went into an academic career and got my first choice for rotation where subspecialties were concerned,” she said. “I felt they helped me become the best that I can be. And as a minority student, I felt there were people who were supportive to those who might have been the first in their families coming to medical school.”
In the book “Legends and Legacies: Personal journeys of women physicians and scientists at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center,” Porche tells the story of her career. She also has reached out to the community as an ambassador through presentations to schools, health fairs, clinics, and community groups. In recognition of this work, she received the 2002 IMPACT award from Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.
She mentors and teaches residents and fellows, primarily from the Medical School, and is active in the National Medical Association, serving as vice-chair of the anesthesia section. She said the key to medical school, and life, is perseverance.
“Don’t let the amount of work intimidate you—take it one step at a time,” she advised.
Porche and her husband, Henry, have three children: Henry III, Bobbi, and Troy.
A ceremony will be held June 23 during the Medical School Reunion weekend to honor Porche’s achievements.
Porche said the day will be bittersweet since it marks the anniversary of her mother’s funeral. “But my daughter, who was named for my mother, just graduated from Ohio State University and was accepted to The University of Texas Medical School at Houston,” she added. “I want to show her, and all women, that you can have it all—just not at the same time.”
— Darla Brown, Office of Communications, Medical School