the BRAIN - Shepherd Center

Address Service Requested
Read the magazine
online at:
spinalcolumn.org
Photo Courtesy of Brian Waldersen
A Dream No Longer Deferred
Brian Waldersen’s dream to go to medical school was sidelined after a February
2007 car accident injured his C-5 to C-7 vertebrae, leaving him a quadriplegic.
But Brian’s dream is back on track.
This past summer, he moved from Phoenix to Baltimore and began studying
medicine at Johns Hopkins University on Aug. 17. He will be the first person in
a wheelchair ever to attend medical school at the university.
“It feels good to be focused on something and have a true purpose,” says
Brian, who spent four months at Shepherd. “Before the accident, I had been
thinking about med school for four or five years. Now it’s here, and I’m ready to
get going.”
While Johns Hopkins held Brian to the same standards as all other applicants,
the university is making some adjustments in environment and equipment to accommodate
him. The medical school purchased a specialized power wheelchair
that allows Brian to stand and move around, as well as adapted standard equipment
and instruments such as his stethoscope. Brian plans to review Webcasts
and online class notes and complete assignments using voice-activated software.
“It will definitely be a challenge because I’m not at the same physical level as
everyone else,” Brian says. “But I’m up for it.”
Brian is interested in shaping health policy, possibly by working in an academic
setting, although he hasn’t ruled out treating patients. “I’m especially interested
in working to address health disparities within the disabled community,” he says.