Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program

Our Residents

Christopher Watson, M.D.

Class of 2011
Undergraduate: Xavier University of Louisiana
Medical School: University of North Carolina School of Medicine

A little bit about myself...

My Background:

About me?I was born in Manhattan, lived there for about 2 months, and then moved to North Carolina with my Mother. It was here that I was raised by my Mother and Grandmother in a small town named Harrellsville. During my formative years, I learned a lot about small town life, and spent a significant amount of time raised in the church. In fact, anyone who knew me from when I was little would have pegged me more for a young preacher than a young doctor.

I had a very rich, very nurturing childhood. I also feel unique among my peers, however, in that I do not come from a privileged background. I obviously never went hungry, but life back then was very far from a life of luxury. As I got older, I also learned firsthand the unfortunate inequalities and often overlooked mistreatments that come with being a black male in this society. I would not change any of this, however, since it is this background that continues to shape and inform not only my general outlook on life, but also my practice as a physician.

Moving on, I first became interested in being a physician from watching the Cosby Show. My next influence occurred when my grandmother became ill when I was 10. My interactions with doctors even then made me admire the profession and strive to become a part of it. I spent a great deal of time caring for my sick grandmother after that. My mother also became ill during this time, elevating me to the head of my household by about age 14. I helped take care of the two people who had always taken care of me. I also became responsible for everything from budgeting our money to doing the majority of the cooking and cleaning. While this was a difficult life at the time, it was certainly character building.

My Education:

I was very blessed to attend Xavier University of LA for my undergraduate education. Although it?s often confused with the Xavier University in Indiana, it is the XU that is NOT known for its basketball team (lol). It is in fact the only Historically Black, Catholic University in the U.S. My biggest reason for attending XU was for its phenomenal track record in preparing their students for medical school. Each year, XU is #1 among all universities for helping African American students earn their way into medical school. Specifically, they get ~70-100 African American students into medical school each year, which is more than twice that of any other school. I graduated in 2002 with a B.S. in Chemistry.

I subsequently attended UNC @ Chapel Hill for my medical school education. I also completed a Masters in Public Health degree during my time in Chapel Hill. I graduated in 2007.

It was also during my time at UNC that I met my lovely wife, Maria Trent-Watson. She is without a doubt the best thing that has happened to me. We both couples-matched @ UMMS in 2007. She is a Psychiatry resident, while I am obviously Med/Peds.

Life at UMMS:

There were two factors that drew me to UMMS for residency. I was firstly looking for a Med/Peds program at a strong academic institution that also had really strong programs each in Internal Medicine and in Pediatrics. UMMS definitely met those criteria. I was also looking for a program where the people seemed happy, which also happened to be true here. More than anything else, however, what I noticed most at UMMS was the diversity of the residents. I interviewed from South Carolina all the way up to Manhattan, and even a few places in Chicago, and none of them came close to the diversity we have at UMMS.

My time here at UMMS has been wonderful. Intern year goes by fast, although there were definitely some days that lasted longer than others :0) The most stressful time for me was definitely during my first switch, which was from Pediatrics to Internal Medicine 3 months into internship. While this was undoubtedly a difficult transition, I found myself having so much support from my fellow residents who had done the same before me. In addition, our Med/Peds program is so well established that the faculty all expect to have us switch over around this time and all make it a very calm, very ?do-able? experience. And as for the people, I couldn?t be happier with all the friends I?ve made, both among fellow residents as well as other staff. I?ve even been amazed at how down to earth the faculty all are. There are no false pretenses among them, only a strong desire to teach and mentor, which is exactly what I need during my residency.

Research/Career Interests:

I?m currently undecided when it comes to career choice. Like the typical Med/Peds personality, I have liked every single rotation I?ve done so far. This obviously makes it difficult to decide if I want to sub-specialize or not. I have decided that I love to teach, and this will have to be a part of my future career. What I do know, however, is that I want at least part of my future career to involve care of the underserved within the U.S. I also absolutely have to care for adults and children!

As far as research, I?m most interested in Health Disparities as well as Quality Improvement. I?m also very interested in efforts to increase the presence of under-represented ethnic groups within the field of Medicine.

Personal Interests:

First of all, anyone who knows me knows I love video games. I?m an enthusiastic Wii owner, and trying to convince Maria that we need a PS3! I?ll let you guys know how that goes! ;0)

I am also a big lover of anime. All time favorites include Inuyasha, Rurouni Kenshin, Full Metal Alchemist, Dragon Ball Z, and Yu Yu Hakusho.

Lastly, I love?absolutely LOVE borrowing things from my fellow residents and not returning them!!! Right now, I have Bob Habicht?s ladder and Lee-Ann Wagner?s Lost DVD series. But be assured, I won?t rest until I?ve borrowed something from everyone! HAHAHAHA!!! In case you can?t tell, this last part is a joke?mostly?ok, somewhat?ok, it?s mostly true, but I?m really not that bad about returning things?mostly? :0) ?

This page was last updated on: June 23, 2009.

For more information about UMCH or to make an appointment, please call 1-800-492-5538 (patients) or 1-800-373-4111 (physicians).