In this alumni spotlight, read a snapshot of where our influential graduates have taken their career path and research since their time at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Current Job

Vice Chair of Anesthesiology and Professor Emeritus at University of California, San Francisco and Chief of Anesthesia at the San Francisco Veterans Administration

Johns Hopkins Path

In 1988, Wallace completed the Medical Scientist Training Program, a seven-year program through which students receive both an M.D. and Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His Ph.D. is in biomedical engineering.

Major Research

Thousands of lives each year have been saved after a landmark study led by Wallace and his colleagues revealed that an inexpensive medication can prevent people with or at risk for heart disease from dying after any type of surgery. The medication, a so-called beta-blocker, is often prescribed to people with heart disease. It works to control heart rate by blocking the hormone adrenaline. Since the study was published, beta-blockers are routinely given to at-risk patients ahead of their surgery. Medical professionals refer to this therapy as perioperative beta-blockade. Wallace authored a free, online course to train practitioners on the protocol.

Biotech Connections

Wallace is founder and chief science officer at Atapir, a biotechnology company looking to shift from using wires, electrodes and tubes to help continuously monitor patients’ vital signs and other measures in the hospital to contactless systems that use cameras, computer software and AI. This new platform for medical monitoring is designed to reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality in hospitals and nursing homes and among frail elderly patients at home.

Beginnings

Wallace’s father was a physicist and nuclear engineer at University of California, Berkeley. His stepmother, Marjorie Winchester Hayes, was a Johns Hopkins Medical School alumna who served as one of only two female physicians in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Volunteer Work

Wallace and his wife, Alfia, introduce high school students in Marin County, California, to STEM careers through events and lectures by scientists. Through their initiative, the Marin Science Seminar Series, they also offer internships to students with interest in video production and science journalism.

Reflections

“We really care about the next generation of scientists, engineers and physicians,” says Wallace. “It’s up to us to equip them with the tools and skills they need to flourish, especially in this pivotal time.”

*Senior Associate Director of Development Haowei Tong contributed to this article.