Dr. Samuel R. Wilson is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology. He is interested in the management of individuals with sickle cell disease and other red blood cell disorders. Specifically, Dr. Wilson’s work is aimed at understanding the unique complications in the aging sickle cell population and figuring out ways of improving the overall health of these individuals.
What brought you to UNC Medical Center?
I came to UNC Medical Center initially in 2018 after matching here for a combined fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Medicine Hematology. I had a longstanding career interest in transitions of care in the sickle cell population and I wanted to be at a place which combined excellent sickle cell disease care and research, as well as the ability to learn from both adult and pediatric subspecialists managing sickle cell.
Where are you from?
I grew up in Naperville, IL, a suburb of Chicago, IL.
Did you always want to be a doctor?
I decided I wanted to be a doctor during my latter years of high school, as I wanted to pursue a career that combined service with science.
How did you choose your specialty?
I developed a career interest in sickle cell disease (SCD) early on in my medical school career based on my experience with an individual with SCD who had difficulty with the transition from pediatric care to adult care. She was unable to find an adult hematologist specializing in SCD. I pursued training in combined medicine and pediatrics and subsequently in pediatric hematology/oncology combined with medicine hematology so that I could better understand and manage the unique manifestations of disease in people with SCD.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
I find the ability to meet patients with unique stories from all walks of life the most rewarding aspect of my work. I also enjoy the multidisciplinary nature of my subspeciality, which provides opportunity to remain a life long learner.
What are some of the new developments in your field of specialty?
In the past 5 years, new pharmaceutics for the management of complications related to sickle cell disease have been FDA approved. There are ongoing bone marrow transplant and gene therapy trials which hold significant promise in making a cure for sickle cell more widely available
Is there a particular achievement (professional or personal) that has been most gratifying to you?
My greatest achievements thus far are raising my two children.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
As I am working on a research heavy career, the best advice I’ve heard is to “stay hungry, ask questions, and write”.
If you weren’t a physician, what would you like to be doing?
I love tinkering with things and working with computers, so I suspect I would have done either engineering or computer science.
What hobbies do you enjoy?
Running and reading
Do you have a favorite quote or life motto?
Not really. I try to work as hard as I can and try not to let “perfect be the enemy of good”
What was the last book you read?
Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine by Damon Tweedy, MD