Dr. Marc Walker, MD – Alumnus Spotlight

Plastic Surgeon and Faculty at UMMC

Hometown: Olive Branch, MS
BS in Biological Science (2006)
LinkedIn Profile

 

Dr. Marc E. Walker is a double board-certified plastic surgeon and fellowship-trained hand surgeon, and tenure-track assistant professor of Plastic Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery. After graduation from Harvard University, Dr. Walker completed residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery as well as fellowship training in hand and microsurgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He then joined the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he is the only pediatric hand surgeon, founder of the Congenital Hand Clinic, division director of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, and Fellowship Program director of Surgery of the Hand. At UMMC, Dr. Walker serves in multiple leadership capacities as officer of the hospital Medical Executive Committee, founding chairman of the Systems-Based Practice subcommittee for the School of Medicine Curriculum Committee, as well as chairman of the Hand Surgery Fellowship Program Clinical Competency and Program Evaluation Committees.

 

Leading Surgeon Credits University of Mississippi for Success, Gives Back  By Bill Dabney/UM Foundation, April 4, 2022

Dr. Marc E. Walker, a plastic surgeon and Mississippi’s only pediatric and congenital hand surgeon, is the founder and clinical director of the Congenital Hand Clinic at Children’s of Mississippi — the pediatric hospital at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

Walker’s road to success is impressive: after graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Ole Miss, he earned MBA and MD degrees from Harvard University. He then completed his residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery as well as fellowship training in hand and microsurgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

“If it weren’t for the generosity of donors before us, my college experience would have been very different,” said Walker, a Carrier Scholar and student in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at Ole Miss. “Without the additional worry of navigating financial hardship, I was able to focus on my education and pursue my dreams of becoming a surgeon.”

Now, he and his wife, Dr. Caroline Aldridge Walker, cardiac anesthesiology and director of structural heart anesthesiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, want to support his alma mater by establishing the Walker Family Endowment with a $150,000 gift to the university.

The couple’s gift, established to provide scholarships for Honors College students, also honors former Dean Douglass Sullivan-González.

“I am extremely honored by the Walkers’ gift and I’m equally proud of Marc, who was one of our most exceptional students. His extraordinary success stands as a tribute to the quality of education we strive to give our citizen-scholars every day,” Sullivan-González said. “This family’s generous gift will help us continue to attract some of the nation’s hardest working students and enrich their experiences.”

The Walkers’ support will go toward Now & Ever: The Campaign for Ole Miss, a historic fundraising initiative to secure $1.5 billion in private gifts to strengthen the university for generations to come.

“We chose to make this gift now because we wanted to capture the momentum of the Now & Ever Campaign with the hope of inspiring other young Honors College alumni to consider also giving back, however big or small, to support the future of honors education at Ole Miss,” Walker said.

An added incentive, Walker said, is that the gift can be made payable in annual increments over time.

“We hope other young alumni and friends will take advantage of this feature and consider giving back to the university however they can,” he said.

Walker serves the Honor’s College as a member of its Koi Society, alumni mentorship program and NOW & Ever Campaign committee. In 2017, he was invited to speak at its new-building dedication and, in 2021, he served on the provost’s national search committee for a new Honor’s College dean.

“The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College had an immeasurable impact on my life. From Day 1, I felt that I was part of a community of students and teachers who valued the pursuit of academic enrichment as well as lived by their commitment to the concept of being citizen scholars,” Walker said. “The Honors College believed in me and never once wavered in supporting and encouraging me to pursue my biggest dreams.”

At Ole Miss, Walker was a Taylor Medalist, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Vice President and Phi Beta Kappa. He served as an Ole Miss Ambassador, attorney general for the Associated Student Body and UM Mission Statement committee chairman on the Provost’s Task Force for Undergraduate Education. He was named Senator of the Year and was inducted into the student Hall of Fame.

After completing his education at Harvard where he was student body president and Yale where he was chief resident, Walker returned to his home state to join the largest academic teaching hospital and only Level 1 trauma center in Mississippi. At UMMC, the double board-certified surgeon is tenure-track assistant professor of plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery, division director of adult and pediatric hand and upper extremity surgery and fellowship program director of surgery of the hand.

“My passion for providing care to under-served populations in large part informed my decision to return to my home state as a plastic surgeon and hand surgeon, treating my fellow Mississippians and training the next generation of young surgeons whom I hope will be inspired to do the same,” said Walker, whose work extends far beyond state lines.

For more than 16 years, the surgeon has traveled throughout Central and South America volunteering his expertise. He serves on the Executive Leadership Board of the pediatric hand surgery mission organization, Hand Help Inc., through which he provides free surgery to children in need. Additionally, as a researcher, author and journal reviewer, he designs clinical studies to discover and deliver the highest quality care to patients around the globe.

“I experience great fulfillment from service to others,” he said. “This remains a primary driving force behind my work.”

Walker, the first member of his family to graduate from college, has received numerous regional, national and international awards for his work. Most recently, he was inducted on March 25, 2022, into the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s inaugural 40 Under 40.

Walker enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time outdoors with his wife, their 9-month-old daughter, Catherine, and their Great Dane, Blue.