IVF baby comes full circle at EVMS

The story of how Phillip Connell, MD Class of 2020, found his way to EVMS started nearly 30 years ago in a petri dish.

After his parents had a difficult time conceiving, a family member recommended they reach out to the EVMS Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine. After two failed attempts at in vitro fertilization, they tried one last time in 1991. It was successful, and Mr. Connell and his sister, Cameron, were born.

“I was one of the first 1,000 Jones babies,” Mr. Connell says, “and now I’m back here learning medicine at the place where medicine created me.”

Mr. Connell was always interested in the medical field, but he also was fascinated with how things were made. That led him to study biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia.

“I’m so thankful for that time,” he says, “because I wasn’t sure if I would be OK with just engineering and creating devices that helped people live healthier lives. The experience made me realize that I wanted to work face-to-face with patients as well.”

With the ultimate goal of attending medical school, he stayed at UVA after graduation to pursue a one-year master’s degree in commerce and business. “To some, it might have seemed like an unusual choice, but it opened my mind to how economics play a role in a hospital setting and how economic forces shape the way our health policy works. I hope to use my engineering and business background to create solutions for patients.”

After applying for medical school, he was elated to learn he earned a spot at EVMS. “I was very thankful for being accepted by the people who created me. I’m honored to be here.”

Initially, he wasn’t sure what specialty he would pursue. He wanted to remain open-minded, but his experiences in one particular area drew him closer to a decision.

Each time he worked with Alfred Abuhamad, MD, the Mason C. Andrews Chair in Obstretrics and Gynecology and Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the reproductive endocrinologists, and the reproductive endocrinologists, “It was a powerful experience,” he says. “It really meant a lot to me to go back there and work with some of the people who were working with the same technology and medicine that helped create me and my sister. That solidified my decision to go into OB/GYN.”

Along the way, he’s been able to share his story and comfort patients. “I was recently with a woman pregnant with twins, who was getting an advanced fetal echo. I was able to tell her about my family and my mom’s experience and calm her down.” He says moments like these confirm he’s made the right decision.

As it turned out, the ultrasound technician doing the scan that day was the only technician working with the Jones Institute in 1991 and most likely scanned Mr. Connell’s heart before he was born.

“I thanked her for taking such good care of us and for making sure we were OK. It was a beautiful moment.” He says he’s grateful for that sense of connection and history. “I wouldn’t have had that at any other medical school.”

Attending EVMS feels like destiny, he says. “I know that’s an obscure thought, but whenever I get bogged down in studying and tests, I can come to the Jones Institute and find the brick that my grandparents donated in my name outside of the building. I can feel a sense of belonging.

“I can feel a story, my own story, how I’ve come full circle to this point back here to learn medicine. I’m going to take that forward and help other people have the same happiness that my parents were able to find through the help and care of the Jones Institute.”

While he will leave EVMS in May for his residency at Baylor University Medical Center, he hopes to return one day. “I’m interested in pursuing reproductive endocrinology and fertility as a fellowship, and it would be amazing to train at the Jones Institute eventually. I don’t think my time at EVMS is coming to a close. I don’t think there will be an end to the connection.”