PHYSICIAN PROFILE
SHELLEY HALL, M.D.
When Shelley Hall, M.D., was than 20 percent of cardiologists who
discouraged her from going into according to an American College of
pediatrician said that women only go As a transplant cardiologist, Dr. Hall
heading to college, her pediatrician see adult patients are women,
medicine. When she persisted, her Cardiology survey done in 2015.
into pediatrics or obstetrics and knows all too well the sad reality of
Englander was accepted to college people waiting for an organ than there
packed two suitcases, hugged her though, may help increase the
to pursue a medical career in enough for transplantation.
gynecology. So, when the New organ donation: there are far more
at the University of Dallas, she are donors. A trial she is leading,
mother and boarded a plane to Texas number of organs deemed healthy
pediatrics.
Big Texas hair and slow Southern
Dr. Hall was selected as the principal
Dr. Shelley Hall
investigator of a national study that
will investigate whether a heart from a
drawls took some getting used to,
but she loved getting into Dallas
Cowboys’ games for free since she
had been raised a big fan of
“America’s Team.” During the fourth
quarter, when the Cowboys were
located at Texas Stadium, the team
let students in at no cost.
When she wasn’t at games, she
was studying to prepare for medicine
and got accepted as an out-of-state
student to The University of Texas
Southwestern Medical School. She
developed her third-year rotation with
one goal in mind: “I had planned them
all around pediatrics,” she said. But
when she was exposed to cardiology,
and then to transplant cardiology, she
took a hard left from pediatrics. Her
new passion was congestive heart
failure and transplantation.
“To me, it was the per fect
combination of specialization and hepatitis C-positive donor can be
said Dr. Hall, who is now chief of donors, who historically were deemed
hear t failure and mechanical now be considered. Recipients
University Medical Center at Dallas hepatitis C can now be treated with a
A&M Health Science Center College the virus. Since several million people
When she began her career at greatly increase the pool of potential
taking care of the entire patient,” transplanted into a patient. Potential
cardiac transplantation, congestive ineligible because of the virus, can
circulator y suppor t at Baylor receiving a heart from someone with
and associate professor at Texas new class of antivirals that can cure
of Medicine. in the U.S. have hepatitis C, this can
Baylor Dallas, Dr. Hall was the donors. Currently, Dr. Hall is working
cardiologist and one of only a few joined the ranks of cardiology People often think you’re a
transplant surgeon, which isn’t
the case. How do you explain the
role of a transplant cardiologist?
many of them are women. Although this happens every time. I say, “We
school graduates are women, fewer until we get a potential heart. The
depar tment’s first transplant
women in cardiology. Years later,
more transplant cardiologists have
departments in the U.S., but not
approximately half of all medical
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to raise funding to support the trial.
I tell this to all my patients, because
take care of you, and keep you alive,