Today@Sam Article

Commencement Spotlight: Matthew and Whitney Boineau

April 25, 2024
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd

Matthew Boineau
West Columbia, Texas
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Family Medicine 

Whitney Boineau
Pflugerville, Texas
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Pediatrics

In a Bearkat love story for the ages, two members of the Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (COM) first cohort of student doctors found a perfect match for their residencies and lives. 

Matthew Boineau grew up in the small town of West Columbia, admiring the work that his mother, an occupational therapist, did in conjunction with local doctors. After taking note of his interest, Matthew’s mother got permission for him to shadow multiple doctors. By watching them work in their specialties, Matthew’s interest in pursuing medicine was quickly established.

As Matthew continued to learn more about practicing medicine, he fell deeper in love with the idea of helping people. After graduating from Concordia University of Texas in Austin, Matthew worked at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital for over a year, which officially sealed the deal for him.

“I was dead set,” Matthew said. “I loved helping these people and being part of a team. And I saw that people got really frustrated with doctors when they didn’t play well with others, so I wanted to be one of the doctors who was actually a team player.”

Whitney, on the other hand, grew up in Pflugerville, right next to the state capitol. Inspired to study medicine by her pediatrician’s knowledge and care, Whitney took an early interest in science and medicine, proclaiming that she would be just like her doctor.

“I loved studying the human body in my anatomy and physiology classes and then realized that I wanted to help people, specifically kids,” Whitney said. “I love science, I love helping people and I love kids, so going into medical school, it was pediatrics or bust for me.”

Whitney earned her undergraduate degree from SHSU while playing for the soccer team on a scholarship. As the only physician in her family, she had initially felt a bit lost when applying to medical schools, not knowing the difference between the MD and DO programs.

“I just remember applying to all the schools in Texas, all over the place. I knew I wanted to stay in Texas, and I want to be a doctor, I didn’t really have a preference where I got into,” Whitney said. “Then Sam Houston was opening up their medical school and I had gone there for my undergrad and just felt this huge pull to apply because I love being a Bearkat.”

While her application to the COM was Whitney’s only DO program application in a sea of MD schools, Matthew only applied to colleges of osteopathic medicine. Thanks to his living in a small town, Matthew attended the same church as one of his mentors, who shared the DO approach to medicine. 

“He told me that he liked the DO philosophy because it focuses on treating the person as a whole individual, not just a list of symptoms, and the mind, body and spirit connection,” Matthew said. “He said it kind of made sense to him and it worked well with his Christian faith and that made perfect sense to me.”

Just before their first semester, the cohort began mingling and establishing interest groups within the new college. It was at one of the founding meetings for the SHSU-COM chapter of the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) that Whitney and Matthew first met. Matthew said the student group served as their main meeting place while classes were broken up into smaller groups or taught online.

“We really only saw each other whenever we would all meet up for CMDA and that’s kind of what did it,” he said. “We had similar friends and then one day I just asked her on a date, and we started dating in February of our first year, and we married in December of that same year. So, it was nice and fun and fast.”

Since tying the knot, the pair has leaned on each other throughout medical school and found their little slice of rural healthcare heaven in East Texas[CA1]  during their clinical rotations. The couple spent time at hospitals in Nacogdoches and Lufkin, fulfilling the rural healthcare needs and the mission of the COM.

During their stint in Nacogdoches, the Boineaus decided to set up shop and live as a local would. They joined a local church and got involved with the community, Whitney even coached a youth soccer team. The couple also felt they could dive into the role of a full-fledged doctor while practicing in the local hospital thanks to their attending balancing their learning by letting them see patients on their own, pitch care plans and adjust them with a bit of expert guidance.

“It felt like you were a doctor, you had your little white coat on, and you walked into the room and there weren’t four other medical students, it was just you and the patient,” Matthew said. “I think we got a pretty good experience, and it taught us some autonomy that most people probably don’t learn until they get to residency.”

With this experience under their belts, the Boineaus looked for a residency program that would enable them to continue serving a rural community. During the COM’s first ever Match Day celebration, the couple was thrilled to see they both matched with their top pick at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock.

Even though they did their residency interviews separately, Whitney and Matthew were both blown away by the kindness and compassion that the interviewers showed for their patients and one another. 

“I remember talking with two of the residents and thinking, wow, I just want to be like you,” Whitney said. “I realized that’s the place I want to be, that if I admire the people above me, they’re going to push me to be like them and I want to be like them. They’re so cool and I could tell would be wonderful doctors.” 

As their time as Bearkat students comes to a close, the Boineaus will miss seeing their friends and the faculty members who became like family to them. They found that being part of the COM’s inaugural class was challenging but were never discouraged, as they had a whole college of supporters cheering them on. It is thanks to this support that they can confidently enter their residencies and pursue their goal of helping those in need. Upon completion of their residencies, the Boineaus plan to move back to Nacogdoches and pick up right where they left off with the town that stole their hearts.

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