Lipscomb community mourns the loss of long-time health sciences partner and friend Matthew Walker

Kim Chaudoin | 04/30/2021

Lipscomb University lost a long-time friend and partner with the death of Dr. Matthew Walker III, a professor of biomedical engineering, a professor of radiology and radiological sciences and associate director of the Medical Innovators Development Program at Vanderbilt University, who passed away on Saturday, April 24, at the age of 56. 

Walker was instrumental in establishing a relationship between Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences and the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, which was founded in 1968 by his grandfather to provide high-quality affordable care for underinsured and uninsured Middle Tennesseans, providing preventive and primary healthcare for the whole person and the whole family in one place.

“The Lipscomb University community mourns the loss of our friend Dr. Matthew Walker III. Dr. Walker was a renowned scholar, a masterful educator, a skilled clinician, and an insightful scientist. However, I will remember him most as my Brother and my Mentor and a person I modeled my career after since my youth,” said Dr. Quincy Byrdsong, vice provost for health affairs at Lipscomb University. “Personally and on behalf of the entire Lipscomb family, we were richly blessed by his life and his spirit.”

Since the partnership launched last year, Lipscomb student pharmacists have volunteered at Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center and with their clinic colleagues in north Nashville, Murfreesboro and Antioch to provide Covid-19 vaccinations at Hadley Park, St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and Mount Zion Baptist Church.

“I was privileged to know Dr. Walker on both a professional and personal level. When I reached out to him regarding the desire for our pharmacy students to work with Matthew Walker Clinic, he made it happen almost immediately. Dr. Walker was always easy to talk to and just a big champion of the underserved,” said Dr. Angie McGraw, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Lipscomb who was also instrumental in forging the relationship with the clinic. 

“He also truly believed in the importance of everyone in healthcare serving those in need, and he and I had several conversations regarding the future of pharmacists and where our profession plays a role as practitioners,” continued McGraw. “Because of him facilitating the connection between pharmacy Katina Beard and I, the faculty and students have been able to participate in several vaccination clinics. On a personal level, Dr. Walker (Matthew) was just a fun, kind man Always full of wisdom and advice. I teased him often about using SAT words when we talked. He is missed greatly.”  

Walker was a mechanical/biomedical engineer with NASA in Houston prior to earning his doctorate in cardiovascular biophysics and pharmacology from Tulane University School of Medicine in 2003. He completed postdoctoral training in the Harvard–M.I.T. Division of Health Sciences and Technology. He then spent eight years at Merck Research Laboratories, where he led a team of pharmacology and biomarker development imaging specialists in cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer and obesity-related drug discovery efforts, resulting in many medicine-related patents. These included the co-development of the drugs Vytorin, Januvia and Candesarten. While at Merck, he also led the novel technologies adoption team. In addition, he was the founder of the Association of Underrepresented Minority Fellows. 

In 2020, Walker was named a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering for “the development of an innovative biotechnology design curriculum across departments within engineering, medicine, and the biomedical device industry.” He was a longtime member of Schrader Lane Church of Christ.

“During this pandemic one of the great partnerships to emerge is the partnership between Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Clinic and Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences,” said Dr. Kam Nola, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice. “The Walker family has a tremendous legacy in providing health care to this community. While we are saddened by his loss, we will honor his memory by the college's continued service to the clinic and the Nashville community and beyond.” 

Although the partnership with Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center is in its beginning stages, it is already having a tremendous impact on Lipscomb’s student pharmacists. This spring, students volunteered in Covid-19 vaccination efforts with the clinic.

“I really enjoyed my time at the Matthew Walker Clinic. The staff welcomed us in with open arms like family. It was really heartwarming to help a team dedicated to the wellbeing of the patients they served. From every patient interaction I had at the clinic, every patient was so appreciative of the vaccine and care they received. It was so rewarding to serve these patients in this environment,” said Kayla Sewell, a P-2 from Santa Fe, Tennessee.  

“Every moment of my time I spent there just made my love for serving others grow more and more. The most heart warming conversation I had was with a woman who said she was originally from Europe and visiting family. She was excited to receive the (Covid-19) vaccine,” continued Sewell. “She said she was doing it for her family here in the states and for the family in her home country that she hadn't seen in six months. She could not wait to hug her children and grandchildren again. It was interactions like these that made it so worthwhile for me. I left the clinic knowing that I had made a tiny difference to someone that day and that made all the difference in the world to me.” 

Destiny Wiggins, a P-2 From Houston, Texas, volunteered at the Matthew Walker Clinic in Murfreesboro, Tennessee twice in the last few months. 

“Each time I was there, the staff graciously and kindly incorporated the Lipscomb Pharmacy students into their setup. At the end of the clinic, the staff always had good words to say about the students who were able to help, and thanked us numerous times for lending a helping hand,” recalled Wiggins. “I remember leaving the clinic each time wanting to find a way to get a rotation at their clinic. The dedication and passion of the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Clinic is evident in their work. They are continuously serving their community.” 

“Having the opportunity to work with Matthew Walker Clinic was an amazing experience. Being able to give back to the community while helping combat the uncertainties of COVID-19 speaks to the core values not only of the clinic but also of the late Matthew Walker III and his family,” added Amakia Gibson, a P-4 From Columbia, South Carolina. “The clinic staff was very welcoming and supportive of the community. The use of student pharmacists as additional personnel resources was ingenious and inspiring. This allowed me to see where my career as a future pharmacist can lead and what we as a community can do when we come together. It was an honor and pleasure to serve alongside this wonderful group of people.” 
 
Dr. William Turner, distinguished professor of leadership and public policy and special counsel to the president for diversity and inclusion at Lipscomb, remembers Walker’s focus on serving others.  

"Matthew Walker was a brilliant scholar, bridging the disciplines of engineering and medicine in his important and groundbreaking work. But more importantly, he was a kind and thoughtful man of faith devoted to serving and caring for others,” Turner reflected. “I often arranged meetings between Matthew and Lipscomb undergraduates to talk about career choices in medicine or the sciences. Matthew always graciously accepted the invitation and the students left inspired and impressed with him. He will be sorely missed." 

Walker is survived by his wife, Anna Walker, and his son, Matthew Walker IV.

Funeral services will be Wednesday, May 5 at Schrader Lane Church of Christ, 1234 Schrader Lane, Nashville. Viewing is at 10 a.m. and services will begin at 11 a.m. CST. The service will also be live streamed here.