Suzy Walter

Fourth Year PhD candidate in the School of Nursing

Advisor: Mary Jane Smith, Ph.D.

Hometown: Clarksburg, West Virginia

Where did you obtain your undergraduate degree? I received my bachelor’s degree in Nursing, my master’s degree in Nursing and my Nurse Practitioner certification all from West Virginia University.

Why did you choose WVU? In the beginning, I was from Clarksburg and it just seemed like the logical thing to do to go to West Virginia University. My sister and brother both went here, as well. We like the Mountaineers.

What are your career ambitions? Right now I’m working in Pediatrics in Pediatric Neurology. I really like working in that specialty, so I plan to continue that. I’d like to also pursue a career in teaching. At some point become a faculty member in the School of Nursing.

Who do you hope to help? My dissertation was on adolescence headaches and I have a headache clinic in Pediatric Neurology. So hopefully I can continue to work with that population and do some more studies on them to build on my dissertation. I’d also like to do teaching and doing some of the translational things like, getting my work published and working with people in assessing adolescence headaches.

Do you have any awards or accomplishments? Probably my biggest and proudest things I have received was the Anna Mary Miller Memorial Ph.D. Scholarship which is in honor of a nurse and a good friend of the School of Nursing here at WVU. I was very proud to get that award.

What is your favorite part of your program? I think what I really enjoy is when you see a patient that you started treating, especially for a reoccurring headache, at their follow-up visits, they start getting better. When they look at you and say, “Thank you for helping”. That’s probably the best part when you have that interaction with the patients.

Do you have any hobbies? I have a two year old son so he’s my hobby now. We have a burley, so we take him bike riding a lot and we also enjoy walking.

Were there any surprises? I was going to get my BSN, stop and never go on! I think, actually, the biggest surprise and not that I didn’t expect it but, how supportive everyone has been to me. In the School of Nursing, my chair Dr. Smith and my committee have been very patient with me. I had my son along the way so that sort of slowed things down but, everyone has been so supportive. Even though I had several roadblocks, no one ever told me, “You know maybe you should stop and reconsider”. In Pediatrics, they’ve given me the time to pursue my Ph.D. and without that support I couldn’t have done it. I think that the University has been so supportive and everyone I’ve worked with has been very supportive and I’m really appreciative of that.