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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 skills— her mother Dr. Velinda Locklear Woriax, a longtime UNCP biology professor, and her grandmother, Shirley Locklear, a public school teacher.

“Growing 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 people’s attention,” 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 Building—not far from her home in Pembroke—where 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 she’s 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 she’s in the middle of a grueling 16-hour Whipple procedure or a 15-minute routine appendectomy, her patients’ well-being remains priority number one.

Depending on the rotation, Woriax begins her mornings at 5:30 a.m.— rounding, meeting with preoperative patients by 6:30. If it’s her month on surgical rotation, operations may begin at 7 and continue into late afternoon. But her passion drives her—a passion and purpose she discovered suddenly and unexpectedly.

“In my third year of medical school, I was doing family, pediatrics, internal medicine—working with patients in a clinic setting. I wasn’t 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, ‘I can’t see me doing anything else,’” 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.

“I 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.”

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. It’s the part of the job that takes her through a full range of emotions, which can take a toll on the most experienced physician.

“It can be very difficult, especially when you are talking with the family and having to tell a mother you couldn’t save her child. That’s one of the reasons I chose not to be a trauma surgeon.”

Though she doesn’t 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 UNCP’s labs. By four, she was telling her parents she was going to be a paleontologist. Science is in her blood. Her grandfather, Dr. Frank “Doc” Woriax, was a well-known family physician in Robeson County for more than 30 years. Her father was a physician’s assistant in the Triad for years.

“She was an inquisitive child,” Velinda Woriax said. “She 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.”

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. She’s an educator and a scientist—just like the women who raised her. At the end of the fellowship at UAB, Woriax’s hope is to continue her career back in North Carolina—preferably in her hometown.

“That’s always been the plan. I don’t 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 that’s 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.”

Update: In August 2021, Dr. Woriax returned home to practice in Robeson County as a breast surgical oncologist for Duke Health