Champion is Brookwood’s graduation speaker
Alumnus Hunter Champion will be the featured speaker at Brookwood School’s commencement exercises on Saturday, May 19, at the Municipal Auditorium in downtown Thomasville.
A Brookwood graduate of 1989, Champion was born in Opelika, Ala., and raised in Thomasville. He earned his B.S. in Biological Science from Emory University and his M.D. and Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Pharmacology from Tulane University.
Now an accomplished cardiologist, he is known for his discovery of the Broken Heart Syndrome (BHS), a temporary and treatable heart condition often brought on by stressful situations, such as the death of a loved one. His discovery has been featured on 20/20, CNN and Good Morning America.
After receiving degrees from Emory in 1993 and Tulane in 1996, Champion completed a six-year cardiology residency at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md. When he completed his training in cardiovascular disease, heart failure and transplant cardiology, he was invited to join the faculty of the Cardiology Division as an assistant professor in medicine. From 2005-2009, Champion directed the Bernard Laboratory for the Study of Cardiovascular Disease.
He was subsequently recruited to the University of Pittsburgh, where he joined the faculty as an associate professor of medicine and directed the largest pulmonary vascular disease program in the country.
Four years ago, Champion and his family relocated to Columbus, Ga., where he joined Southeastern Cardiology Associates. He is the only heart failure trained specialist and the only pulmonary hypertension trained specialist in the Chattahoochee Valley and surrounding areas. He also continues to serve as a private physician for past and present members of the Saudi Royal Family, UAE Royal Families and other religious and spiritual leaders.
Champion said that even today, he holds Brookwood School dear to his heart. “It really did shape who I am,” he said. “It gave me the courage and the stick-to-it-ive-ness to know moving forward that I can do anything.”
Of the invitation to speak at this year’s commencement ceremony, Champion said it was one of the greatest distinctions he’s ever received. “To be able to at least try at some level to impart what I’ve learned over these 20-plus years since graduating to the kids who are graduating now — and try to do it in a way that says, ‘Hey, I wish someone had told me this when I was leaving high school’ — it’s one of the bigger honors I’ve ever had.
Champion and his wife, Lark, have three children — Hunter Clay, Callaway and Spencer.
Back
A Brookwood graduate of 1989, Champion was born in Opelika, Ala., and raised in Thomasville. He earned his B.S. in Biological Science from Emory University and his M.D. and Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Pharmacology from Tulane University.
Now an accomplished cardiologist, he is known for his discovery of the Broken Heart Syndrome (BHS), a temporary and treatable heart condition often brought on by stressful situations, such as the death of a loved one. His discovery has been featured on 20/20, CNN and Good Morning America.
After receiving degrees from Emory in 1993 and Tulane in 1996, Champion completed a six-year cardiology residency at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md. When he completed his training in cardiovascular disease, heart failure and transplant cardiology, he was invited to join the faculty of the Cardiology Division as an assistant professor in medicine. From 2005-2009, Champion directed the Bernard Laboratory for the Study of Cardiovascular Disease.
He was subsequently recruited to the University of Pittsburgh, where he joined the faculty as an associate professor of medicine and directed the largest pulmonary vascular disease program in the country.
Four years ago, Champion and his family relocated to Columbus, Ga., where he joined Southeastern Cardiology Associates. He is the only heart failure trained specialist and the only pulmonary hypertension trained specialist in the Chattahoochee Valley and surrounding areas. He also continues to serve as a private physician for past and present members of the Saudi Royal Family, UAE Royal Families and other religious and spiritual leaders.
Champion said that even today, he holds Brookwood School dear to his heart. “It really did shape who I am,” he said. “It gave me the courage and the stick-to-it-ive-ness to know moving forward that I can do anything.”
Of the invitation to speak at this year’s commencement ceremony, Champion said it was one of the greatest distinctions he’s ever received. “To be able to at least try at some level to impart what I’ve learned over these 20-plus years since graduating to the kids who are graduating now — and try to do it in a way that says, ‘Hey, I wish someone had told me this when I was leaving high school’ — it’s one of the bigger honors I’ve ever had.
Champion and his wife, Lark, have three children — Hunter Clay, Callaway and Spencer.
Brookwood School
Located in Thomasville, GA, Brookwood School is a private school for grades JK-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.