
Article written by Mark Locklear
First published in the spring 2021 edition of UNCP Today
Surgeons must possess a unique blend of skills and characteristics to be successful; they need more than just medical knowledge. While still early in her career, Dr. Hannah Woriax is quickly accumulating those skills.
A bright, eager mind. Manual dexterity. Good hand-eye coordination. A calm temperament. The ability to work well under pressure. And good communication that is authentic. Luckily for Woriax, she was blessed to have been raised by two career communicators with all of those skillsâ her mother Dr. Velinda Locklear Woriax, a longtime UNCP biology professor, and her grandmother, Shirley Locklear, a public school teacher.
âGrowing up with Meemaw Shirley ⌠she taught third grade for 35 years, so she knew how to take charge of a room. In surgery, things can go from mundane to perilous quickly. You must always be alert and be able to get peopleâs attention,â Woriax said.
Woriax fell in love with science at a young age, long before her days of dominating state and national science fairs. In school, her advanced intellectual abilities grabbed the attention of her peers and teachers alike. A high school graduate at 16, a UNCP alumnae at 19 and a medical school student by the time she was 20, Woriax excelled academically through each stage of her journey.
Her mouth curves into a smile as she reflects on the summers spent in the classrooms and labs in Oxendine Science Buildingânot far from her home in Pembrokeâwhere her mother has taught biology for the last 26 years. She would help her mother prepare weekly lessons and assist with preparation for youth science camps.
At UNCP, Woriax was a RISE fellow, pursuing her passion for research. After graduating from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in 2014, it was off to Virginia Tech-Carilion Clinic for general surgery residency.
We recently caught up with Woriax in Alabama, where sheâs taking part in a one-year Breast Surgical Oncology fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
No one day, or hour for that matter, is the same for Woriax. Regardless of whether sheâs in the middle of a grueling 16-hour Whipple procedure or a 15-minute routine appendectomy, her patientsâ well-being remains priority number one.
Depending on the rotation, Woriax begins her mornings at 5:30 a.m.â rounding, meeting with preoperative patients by 6:30. If itâs her month on surgical rotation, operations may begin at 7 and continue into late afternoon. But her passion drives herâa passion and purpose she discovered suddenly and unexpectedly.
âIn my third year of medical school, I was doing family, pediatrics, internal medicineâworking with patients in a clinic setting. I wasnât completely satisfied with any rotation I had completed. My second to last rotation was surgery. During my first week, in the middle of an emergent trauma case, I said to myself, âI canât see me doing anything else,ââ Hannah said.
Developing a doctor-patient relationship is one aspect of the job Woriax has always enjoyed. Recently, she treated a 45-year-old female patient for diverticulitis during her four-month hospital stay.
âI became very fond of her. She was one of my favorite patients when I was in Virginia. She would always brighten up our day. I loved her. We see patients from the early stages of diagnosis through treatment, so we form a bond.â
On the far extreme, Woriax must cope with the grief of losing patients. She understands that this part of the job, though necessary, will never get easy. Itâs the part of the job that takes her through a full range of emotions, which can take a toll on the most experienced physician.
âIt can be very difficult, especially when you are talking with the family and having to tell a mother you couldnât save her child. Thatâs one of the reasons I chose not to be a trauma surgeon.â
Though she doesnât prefer trauma, Woriax knew from an early age she was destined for a career in medicine and science. At two, she was entertaining herself with water and a pipette in UNCPâs labs. By four, she was telling her parents she was going to be a paleontologist. Science is in her blood. Her grandfather, Dr. Frank âDocâ Woriax, was a well-known family physician in Robeson County for more than 30 years. Her father was a physicianâs assistant in the Triad for years.
âShe was an inquisitive child,â Velinda Woriax said. âShe had a love for asking questions. Whether it was with me at work, her daddy or grandfather at his office, she was always in a science-type setting. At a young age, she could manipulate her thought process. She was vocal and very observant.â
It was early experiences at UNCP that shaped her future.
Woriax loves every aspect of her career, but sees herself as more than just a clinician. Sheâs an educator and a scientistâjust like the women who raised her. At the end of the fellowship at UAB, Woriaxâs hope is to continue her career back in North Carolinaâpreferably in her hometown.
âThatâs always been the plan. I donât see any reason not to give myself back to the community that helped me get to where I am. They gave me this opportunity through support, both financially and emotionally. A lot of folks in rural communities do not have access to health care, and thatâs why I want to come home to practice and help provide adequate care to people in my community. For me, my job would be more meaningful if I am able to serve my community.â
Update: In August 2021, Dr. Woriax returned home to practice in Robeson County as a breast surgical oncologist for Duke Health