Making a community doctor
Joseph Burton 38C 40M and his daughter Ann
When Ann Kirkley 69Ox 71C was a child in the small town of Homestead, Fla., an empty chair at the dinner table was not out of the ordinary. Her father, one of the town’s few doctors, typically rushed home from a house call. He always made it home in time for dinner, though sometimes a little late, to hear about his family’s day.
Joseph Burton 38C 40M was every kind of doctor to his patients—an internist, a general surgeon, an obstetrician—and therefore had little free time. "I can remember one time we had packed the car to go on vacation, and he got a call that his patient was in labor," Kirkley says. "We got out of the car, left it packed, and went inside and waited until he got back."
Kirkley usually went on after-dinner house calls with him. Through the years, she would see him treat three generations of a family. Burton continued working until his death in 1988. He was the definition of a community doctor, Kirkley says. So that others can follow in his path, she has made a planned gift to endow a scholarship for MD/MPH students at Emory. The scholarship will be named for her father.
His daughter hopes the scholarship will help medical students who see themselves as part of the community, not merely as professionals who offer a service within the community.
"In the best of all possible worlds, the scholarship will help someone who is going to medical school to truly help people—people who can’t necessarily help themselves," she says.
"Obviously, it will be someone with compassion who wants to give people access to a broad spectrum of health care. I included public health in the endowment because my dad truly knew his patients and their needs. I know that public health covers a greater range of care than his practice, but those who focus on community health will be helping local patients, like my father."
Burton worked long hours but would not have had it otherwise. He was both a doctor and a friend to most of his patients. "He listened to his patients on all accounts, and he had a talent for putting people at ease," Kirkley says. "He never met a stranger. He put himself through medical school through a series of part-time jobs. I think my dad would be pleased that through all of his hard work, he could help someone else with the deep desire to help others. There was nothing else he would rather have done."
Open to students from Emory School of Medicine and other U.S. medical schools, the MD/MPH program prepares students to serve as physicians who can address and prevent the health problems of individuals and communities. The five-year program includes one year of study at Rollins. To learn more about how to support this program, contact Kathryn Graves, associate dean for development and external relations, at 404-727-3352 or kgraves@emory.edu.
