Wallace becomes first Choctaw medical doctor
Dr. Christina Wallace said watching her mother work a registered nurse is what sparked her interest in medicine, eventually leading to her becoming the first-ever Choctaw Indian Tribal member to obtain a doctorate in medicine.
Wallace, a Tribal member born and raised in the Tucker community, recalled living in Arizona for eight years and watching her mother take care of patients at the hospital where she worked.
“We moved out to Arizona when I was around eight years old, and we were there around 10 years,” Wallace said. “I came back here, and I finished college at Ole Miss and majored in Chemistry with a minor in biology.”
After graduation, Wallace worked as a chemist at the Choctaw Health Center and with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ Environmental Department, but still had a desire to pursue medicine.
“I still had a nag to go back to school,” Wallace said. “I started commuting from the Philadelphia area to Jackson every day for classes, and I had kids to take care of. It was challenging, but the years have gone by quickly. I love taking care of patients, providing them education, getting to know each of them, and hope to make a difference that’s positive for them.”
Wallace is the first member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to obtain a doctorate in medicine. After graduation, she came home to be a physician at the Choctaw Health Center.
The Tribe held a Physician Commitment Event to honor Wallace in April where multiple Tribal members, including Chief Cyrus Ben and the 2021-2022 Choctaw Indian Princess Shema Ladania Crosby, gathered to celebrate Wallace’s accomplishments, and welcome her to the Choctaw Health Center family.
Dr. Wallace now makes her home in Edinburg with her husband and two children and specializes in internal medicine.
Mary Harrison, health director at the Choctaw Health Center, said the Tribe was very excited and enthusiastic about Wallace as she set out for UMMC. That day marked an important time for the Choctaw Health Center and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
“She carried the hopes and dreams of what is to come for our Tribal members,” Harrison said. “She was on this journey to become a physician, and we knew she had a tough road ahead. We knew that encouragement from her family, work, and home was the support she needed. We’re very proud to welcome her home and call you our own at the Choctaw Health Center. We look forward to when she begins here in August 2022.”
Wallace is currently finishing her third year of internal medicine and will finish her residency at UMMC in June. After that, she will begin preparing to start at the Health Center in August.
“It’s been a long journey, but good,” Wallace said. “I’m very excited to go back to my community and start practicing there.”
“The most challenging part of obtaining my doctorate was the commute,” she said. “I spent a lot of time driving back and forth when I could be sleeping and studying, and I also missed my family. It was a big sacrifice, but it was worth it.”
Outside of her practice, Wallace enjoys spending time with her husband, Wes Wallace, and two children, Ansley, 14, and Jake, 9.
“Our family is close-knit, and we love being outdoors,” Wallace said. “We do a lot of gardening, fishing, kayaking, and more, and we like going to the Southwest for vacations, such as Arizona.”
Wallace encouraged others to pursue their goals and said it is important, no matter what age, that if you have something in mind that you want to achieve, you must keep pushing forward and work hard.
“Make your dreams come true,” she said.