BCM Family will highlight the campus deans through a series of Q&As. The series continues with an introduction to Dr. William Culp, associate dean of faculty affairs and faculty development and professor at Baylor’s School of Medicine on the Temple Campus and an anesthesiologist at Baylor Scott & White Health.

After years of planning, the School of Medicine’s first regional campus opened in Temple, Texas, last July with an inaugural class of 40 students. The Baylor community has had the opportunity to get to know Regional Dean Dr. Alex Arroliga, as well as Dr. Christian Cable, associate dean of admissions and students, Dr. Steve Charles, associate dean of curriculum, and Dr. Hania Janek, associate dean of campus operations at and senior vice president of clinical medical education. This is the final installment in the series.

What do you wish to accomplish in your role?

Dr. William Culp

I’m excited to help support our Temple faculty as they join Baylor College of Medicine. In the Office of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development, we’re working hard to be responsive by developing and implementing systems and processes that facilitate and support our faculty members throughout their entire professional lifecycle, from initial appointment through their continued development as senior faculty members.

What is your professional background?

I come from a family of teachers and healthcare workers, and in academic medicine I’ve found a way to honor both traditions. I’m a committed academic and a lifelong learner, whether it’s in the classroom or in the operating room. By continuing to learn and grow our mind and skills, we’re better able to provide care for our patients – and that’s really the bedrock of medical education for all physicians.

A graduate of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, I trained in anesthesiology at UTMB. I also completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic anesthesiology and joined the faculty in Galveston. I’ve had the opportunity to work at both MD Anderson and Texas Children’s Hospital. Even though my wife and I were surprised one morning to find her brand-new car under water during Tropical Storm Allison, I loved my time working in the Texas Medical Center. A highlight was being part of the first pediatric lung transplant operation at Texas Children’s. Since then, my family and I moved, so I could work at Baylor Scott & White in Temple where I’ve been for nearly two decades.

My teaching style uses active engagement of learners during lectures with practical, real-world applications to help convey complex scientific principles. By teaching others, we can extend our impact through our students to their future patients whom we never even see ourselves. That’s part of the magic of teaching.

What makes the Temple medical school campus unique?

The Temple campus of the Baylor College of Medicine School of Medicine is a special place where we practice, learn and teach medicine in a major tertiary care medical campus, all in a community with a hometown feel. The Temple community has embraced medical education for well over 100 years, whether that’s training physicians, residents, fellows, nurses or allied health workers. We’ve assembled a fantastic group of scientists and physicians who are excited to be part of our students’ training. Doctors who train in Temple today will be part of top-notch classroom and clinical training in our 650-bed teaching hospital and will learn how to work as part of – and how to lead – healthcare teams.

What would you say to an applicant about the Temple campus and community?

Temple is home to the warm, friendly and hard-working people of Central Texas. There’s impressive variety in our population, including farmers, ranchers, soldiers and workers in the technology, space and healthcare industries. Here, neighbors take care of neighbors. It’s a great place to live, to learn, to teach, be a real part of the community and make a home.

By Dana Benson

Baylor Scott and White Health in Temple