Profiles in Giving

Dr. Walter Royal DMS '80: A Commitment to Supporting DMS

Dr. Walter Royal

It was during his first year at Dartmouth Medical School when Dr. Walter Royal first became intrigued with the field of neurology. "I became fascinated by the fact that the nervous system is so precisely organized, and that when the slightest thing goes wrong with it, it can take a tremendous toll on a patient," Royal explains. He initially was interested in primary care medicine.

Royal has dedicated his career to trying to reduce that toll by researching and treating inflammatory and infectious disorders of the nervous system, most notably multiple sclerosis and HIV. Today, he is an associate professor of neurology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, as well as associate director for research at the VA Multiple Sclerosis Center East and at the Maryland Center for Multiple Sclerosis.

While the demands of teaching, engaging in research, and caring for his patients are great, Royal remains deeply involved with his alma mater, not only by supporting the Fund for DMS, but also by inspiring others to do so. Royal served on his 25th reunion gift committee in 2005, and recently joined the Fund for DMS Working Group. The group comprises alumni representing a broad range of geographic regions and class years, and is charged with the task of increasing support for the Fund for DMS, a key priority of the Transforming Medicine Campaign.

According to Royal, serving as a volunteer "gives me the opportunity to contact old friends and acquaintances and to give back to an institution that has been important to my ability to pursue my dream."

Through his generosity to the Fund and his efforts to inspire others to give, Royal is helping the physicians of tomorrow pursue their dreams. Gifts to the Fund support scholarship at DMS, as well as curriculum development, the recruitment and retention of the highest caliber faculty, the creation of innovative programs and state-of-the-art facilities, and the overall operation of the medical school.

"My experience at Dartmouth is the reason I'm a physician today," Royal continues. "so I feel a commitment to support it."

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