We caught up with Scott Matthew Summers, a 26-year-old Valley native and (of course) former classmate after he sent us an excited e-mail regarding U.C. Merced’s medical school.

“You’re probably familiar with this, but it’s relevant to your blog and really exciting for me,” he wrote.

We took notice, one because we can’t remember the last time we talked to Scott online or in person. And two, because from what we remember, Scott doesn’t wear excitement on his sleeve.

Here’s our e-mail/facebook messenger interview with Scott, an MD/PhD student at U.C. Irvine.

One-sentence summary: A Valley medical school means he could live both his dreams–to live in the Valley and flourish professionally.

It means that returning to the Central Valley will likely become considerably easier for me…

— Scott Matthew Summers, sixth-generation Valley native

What year are you in school?

I’m just starting my 7th year in the MD/PhD program at UC Irvine. Meaning I’ve completed the PhD and two years of med school. I have two years of med school left there.

What are you researching?

My PhD is in pharmacology, specifically cardiovascular pharmacology centered around treating orthostatic intolerance, a.k.a. fainting when you stand up.

Why is this news exciting?
The Central Valley desperately needs not only more physicians, but also some sort of biomedical research facility. A medical school tends to foster much greater biomedical research opportunities, particularly in the basic sciences, than are available at a university without a medical school or a hospital that only offers resident training such as what is currently available at UCSF-Fresno.

What does this news mean for you, personally?

It means that returning to the Central Valley will likely become considerably easier for me in terms of career opportunities.

Do you plan to move back to the Valley? Why or why not?

Yeah. I’m a 6th generation Central Valley native. My family on all sides still lives in the area around Fresno and Sanger. I really can’t imagine living somewhere other than where they are for the long term. Further, I had a great childhood here and I would want my kids to have that as well.

What in particular did you like about your childhood in the Fresno area?

I liked the open space. I played in the furrows between grape vines on grandfather’s farm. The people are nicer than a lot of other places in the state.

How did you think you’d move to the Valley before this?

I thought my research would probably be more clinical. But such as it is, this might allow me to do the goal that most MD/PhDs have which is 80% research and 20% clinical activities.

Ok, let me get this straight, before UC Merced’s Med school, you thought your only option to move back to the Valley with an MD/phD would be to work at a Community hospital doing clinical research?

The other option was to work at UC Merced, but do only basic science. Now I could actually do both.

The whole bench-to-bedside process that MD/PhDs dream about.