Fall 2001

Family Medicine

True grit and mutual helpfulness fuel this mother and daughter's determination to become physicians - a journey they have begun together at the IU School of Medicine.

The times might have been a-changin' in the mid-1960s but not fast enough for Marilyn Gearhart. She aimed to become a physician but was advised instead to set her sights on teaching or nursing, "practical" professions for young women of that day. She chose the classroom over the white cap because the latter would have placed her too painfully close to the profession she desired most.

Today, Marilyn, fifty-one, can look back at her teaching career in elementary and high school mathematics and biology with pride. In addition to bringing up her own daughters Amanda and Shannon, she has nurtured a generation of youngsters and taught them to give their most and do their best.

During that time, though, things really were changing. When daughter Shannon was growing up in the 1990s, there was far more support for her conviction that medical school was the gateway to her future. Her experiences in a special class at DeKalb High School near Auburn, Ind., helped confirm her choice. More important, her mother and maternal grandparents encouraged her to work hard to attain her goal, advice that won her top honors as a biology major at Loyola University Chicago.

But there's more than one happy ending to this story. Or perhaps we should say happy beginnings. For on a sweltering day last August, Marilyn and Shannon Gearhart took the first step in achieving the dream they share. Mother and daughter were among 280 students participating in the White Coat Ceremony in Indianapolis, a unique rite of passage signaling the beginning of the education and training to be a physician. It also marked the first time a parent and child have entered the School together.

"When Shannon left for Loyola four years ago, I decided it was my turn, and I started investigating what I needed to do to be considered and accepted into medical school," says Marilyn, who credits IUSM Director of Admissions Robert Stump, JD, with steering her to coursework to prepare for the Medical College Admission Test. Her quest required her to juggle classes at Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne and Loyola - in addition to keeping pace with a schedule that would knock the wind out of the heartiest marathon runner. Until last June, she chaired the DeKalb High School mathematics department, supervised students with disciplinary problems in Saturday school, taught math and biology and coached various academic teams, as well as participating in her school system's education association and teaching evening classes for neighboring IPFW.

"I guess you could say I thrive when I have a little stress," she says. "I have to credit my own parents, Joan and Cash Hagerty, with giving me the tools and guidance that influenced my decision to attend medical school. They always taught me I could attain anything I wanted as long as I was willing to work hard for it."

Another Route
Shannon's route to medical school was more direct but just as challenging. "I can remember watching surgeries on television when I was three years old, and I grew up surrounded by science because of my mother's teaching career," says the daughter, who graduated magna cum laude from Loyola and was inducted last May into Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Sigma Nu. She was reasonably certain her studies would lead to a medical or science-related career, and her participation in the health occupations education class at DeKalb High School helped tip the scales in favor of medicine.

"At that time I was by nature a shy person, and the class allowed me to work close to doctors at DeKalb Memorial Hospital and in other clinical settings," says Shannon. "I became confident and learned to interact effectively with people and, best of all, found that I truly loved helping others and making a difference in their lives."

Marilyn and Shannon cleared the first hurdle, the MCAT, well enough to apply for and garner interviews at several medical schools. They mused what an interesting turn of fate it would be if they could attend school together. Last spring, their wish took wings when they were notified of their acceptance at IUSM. Both are attending under the Indiana Primary Care Scholarship Program, which provides tuition assistance to students in exchange for their commitment to practice in underserved areas in the state.

Last summer offered little respite for the mother and daughter. With the help of Marilyn's mother they prepared their Auburn house for sale, packed up their belongings, said their goodbyes, and moved into a new home near the Indianapolis medical campus.

The women's paths no doubt will cross often in the classroom, labs and later in the clinic, but neither views it as a direct competitive challenge. "I see a real benefit to this," notes Shannon. "We each have our own particular strengths and weaknesses, and we can support each other as needed. Certainly, this is an unusual situation, but my mother always has been there for me. Now I'll be there for her too." "But it's highly debatable whether we'll sit together in class," Marilyn is quick to add, drawing a chuckle from her daughter.

Regardless of where Marilyn and Shannon Gearhart sit or where clinical rotations take them, one fact is uncontestable: They will pursue their shared dream together at the IU School of Medicine.