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t m c » p u l s e | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9 34 DeBakey High Grads: Where Are They Now? Some are still here, working in the medical center B y B r i t n i R . M c A s h a n RONALD TIMOTHY COTTON, M.D. Valedictorian, Class of 1998 PROFESSION | Assistant profes- sor in the division of abdominal transplantation in the Michael E. DeBakey department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and surgeon at Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor St. Luke's Health and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center - Houston. Cotton participated in the Houston Premedical Academy Program— an eight-year pipeline that takes DeBakey graduates through undergraduate studies at the University of Houston and then medical school at Baylor College of Medicine. Originally the program accepted eight students each year, but now accept six students a year. "It's surreal coming full-circle from the high school that was Dr. DeBakey's namesake and then being a faculty member at Baylor in the department that is his namesake in the medical school that he really built in a lot of ways," Cotton said. W hen the High School for Health Professions opened at the Texas Medical Center in 1972, it was the first school of its kind in the country. The brainchild of the late, famed surgeon, Michael designed for students who want to pursue careers in medicine and science. "My dad wanted to have a high school under the wing of Baylor College of Medicine," said E. DeBakey, M.D., the high school adopted his name in 1996. Started through a partnership between Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Independent School District, the high school is