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Charles Pritchard

  • Class

    Class of 2014

  • Program

    B.A. in Classics, B.S. in Biology ( College of Liberal Arts )

  • Hometown

    Pass Christian, MS (South)

  • Quick Intro

    Charles is a neuroradiology fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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Alum Spotlight

Why and when did you decide to major in classics?

As a pre-med, I started off as a biology major.  I had a long-held interest in Roman history and Latin, so I decided to minor in classics. I ended up enjoying my classics courses so much that I wanted to delve deeper into more advanced Roman history and Latin classes. I think it was early junior year that I decided to upgrade my minor to a second major, and I never regretted it.  After slogging through the pre-med requirements of organic chemistry, physics, etc., it was refreshing and stimulating to work a different part of my brain.
As a pre-med, I started off as a biology major.  I had a long-held interest in Roman history and Latin, so I decided to minor in classics. I ended up enjoying my classics courses so much that I wanted to delve deeper into more advanced Roman history and Latin classes. I think it was early junior year that I decided to upgrade my minor to a second major, and I never regretted it.  After slogging through the pre-med requirements of organic chemistry, physics, etc., it was refreshing and stimulating to work a different part of my brain.

Please tell us some of your favorite memories from your time at UM.

Dinners at Ajax and Rice and Spice.  Running on the Whirlpool trail on a crisp autumn day.  Forming lifelong friendships (as cliché as that sounds).
Dinners at Ajax and Rice and Spice.  Running on the Whirlpool trail on a crisp autumn day.  Forming lifelong friendships (as cliché as that sounds).

How would you summarize your educational/career path since UM?

After graduating from Ole Miss in 2014, I went to medical school at UMMC in Jackson. I graduated in 2018 and did my intern year at Brookwood Baptist in Birmingham, followed by four years of diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  At the time of writing this in June 2024, I am at the tail end of my one year neuroradiology fellowship at UAB.  After fellowship, I will stay on at UAB as a clinical assistant professor in neuroradiology. 

After graduating from Ole Miss in 2014, I went to medical school at UMMC in Jackson. I graduated in 2018 and did my intern year at Brookwood Baptist in Birmingham, followed by four years of diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  At the time of writing this in June 2024, I am at the tail end of my one year neuroradiology fellowship at UAB.  After fellowship, I will stay on at UAB as a clinical assistant professor in neuroradiology. 

What do you see as the value of studying classics in today’s world?

I will answer this question from a medical perspective.  I think that classics is an underrated major for pre-meds.  I believe that having a unique major helps you stand out from a sea of biology, chemistry, and biomedical engineering applicants during the med school application process.  From a practical standpoint, majoring in classics helps foster critical thinking and writing skills. Written communication is crucial in my job. As a radiologist, I translate findings on MRI and CT scans into written reports, which clinicians use for decision-making.  However, the best reason to study classics is that it is such a joy.  The road to becoming a physician is long, and much of it is a grind.  My advice to any pre-med would be to major in something that you have fun learning.  For me, that was classics. 
I will answer this question from a medical perspective.  I think that classics is an underrated major for pre-meds.  I believe that having a unique major helps you stand out from a sea of biology, chemistry, and biomedical engineering applicants during the med school application process.  From a practical standpoint, majoring in classics helps foster critical thinking and writing skills. Written communication is crucial in my job. As a radiologist, I translate findings on MRI and CT scans into written reports, which clinicians use for decision-making.  However, the best reason to study classics is that it is such a joy.  The road to becoming a physician is long, and much of it is a grind.  My advice to any pre-med would be to major in something that you have fun learning.  For me, that was classics.