The fuel that ignited Peyton Burpee’s dream of becoming a physician isn’t something he likes to talk about much — it makes him a little uneasy just thinking about it.
When he was just 4 years old, Burpee, now a Washington State University neuroscience student, became the 18th person in the United States diagnosed with a rare and potentially deadly congenital heart defect known as anomalous coronary artery. His oldest brother before him was just the eighth person to be diagnosed with the defect.
The diagnosis puts Burpee and anyone who has the disease at a significantly higher risk of sudden cardiac events, especially during physical activity.
“Honestly, I do worry a lot, probably more than people think,” Burpee said. “It’s just that this disease is so rare, and no one really knows much about it.”
The condition occurs when the right or left coronary artery is located in the wrong position during fetal development or doesn’t develop properly. Even with open heart surgery to repair the artery and restore regular blood flow, as in Burpee’s case, the risk of cardiac events remains high.
“A question I always get asked every time I go in to the doctor is do you have chest pains while you exercise? And I do, but it’s never been to the point where I’ve had to stop exercising. It is a major concern, though,” Burpee said. “If I’m running on a treadmill and I start to notice any pain at all, I’ll usually just turn down the speed and focus on my breathing a little bit more.”
Looking back, Burpee, a Duvall, Washington, native, said it felt like he practically grew up at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
While he won’t let the disease define him, his time in the hospital and the relationships he built with his doctors, along with his mother’s career as a nurse, have shaped Burpee’s career trajectory. He’s particularly drawn to pediatrics because he wants to bring hope to children just as his doctors did for him.
Hope is something not a lot of people can give….A good physician can give hope to a sick kid and their family and really push them through those hard times.
Peyton Burpee, neuroscience student
Washington State University
“Hope is something not a lot of people can give. It’s not something that all people are in a position to provide others, but in medicine it is really highlighted, and a good physician can give hope to a sick kid and their family and really push them through those hard times,” Burpee said. “I know that was a big part of it for me and my family.”
Burpee is on track to make his dream reality.
He was selected as a pre-admit for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s Doctor of Medicine program through the WSU Honors College Pathway Program. The medical program admits highly qualified WSU Honors College students who align with the College of Medicine’s mission, vision, and goals.
Burpee said WSU’s neuroscience curriculum prepared him for medical school, along with hands-on work in assistant professor Ryan McLaughlin’s laboratory.
In the lab, Burpee assists with cannabis research, specifically into the neurological effects of the drug’s key intoxicating ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on because there’s a couple PhD students working on projects,” Burpee said. “So, I’m kind of getting to see all of it.”
Projects differ from cannabis’ effect on memory loss to stress response and more.
Entering his final year at WSU Pullman with a 4.0 GPA, Burpee said he feels better and better about his decision to follow in his brother Jackson’s footsteps and turn down five other schools to attend WSU.
“The classes here are rigorous enough to make me feel prepared for medical school and the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and I have felt supported throughout this whole way,” Burpee said. “I’ve loved it here and I’m glad that I made the decision to come here.”
