An Interview with an Alumna: Dr. Christy Lane IDE'96

About Christy Lane

Dr. Christy Lane graduated in 1996 from Purdue University with a BS in IDE. She completed her medical school education at the University of Louisville in 2000 and her pediatric residency training at the Ohio State University in 2003. She is board certified in Pediatrics and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Lane opened her own practice, Growing Kids Pediatrics, in January of 2011 after several years of working for other practices in the Southern Indiana Area. It continues to be Dr. Lane’s desire to have a small, child and family-oriented practice that provides excellent pediatric care with a personal touch. Dr. Lane has special interest in Adoption medicine and has worked closely with families during their adoptions both internationally and locally since 2004. Dr. Lane also has special interest in education and public health and serves as the Consulting Medical Director for NAFC schools as well as Floyd County Head Start. She also serves on the Floyd County Health Board. Dr. Lane is a 4th generation Boilermaker! 

Why did you choose Interdisciplinary Engineering?

During freshman year, just like students do now, I had the opportunity to explore the different majors and pick one. I ended up choosing Mechanical Engineering. But, pretty soon into the semester, I was having a really difficult time in the classes and I honestly did feel like a failure. I did panic a little bit and decided to switch into Civil Environmental Engineering. However, going into college, I knew that I wanted to pursue medical school and the major would allow me to spend more time in biochemistry and organic chemistry classes. I was really interested in the environment as well. As I was closing in towards junior year and I was preparing for medical school applications and studying for the MCAT, I realized that I needed more flexibility in my curriculum. So, I eventually decided to switch into interdisciplinary engineering. As I knew I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to make sure to enjoy what was left of undergrad and take classes in what I was interested in. I was able to take some really cool classes like gross anatomy, speech and language pathology classes and even taught a few semesters of biology.

Did you know you wanted to become a doctor when joining Engineering School?

Absolutely! Growing up, I knew I wanted to be working in a doctor’s office one day. But, I also really enjoyed math and science throughout high school. When I started looking at my options for college in my junior year of high school, I let my father know that I wanted to be pre-med. However, he encouraged me to think ahead and think about the possibility of not getting into medical school. As he was an engineer, he encouraged me to look into careers in engineering. There were so many exciting options and I loved math and science, so engineering seemed like the perfect subject to pursue in college. He also took me to an event at Purdue that was hosted by the Women in Engineering Program during the fall of my senior year. I went to a panel event where a bunch of women who were engineers and had studied at Purdue sat up there are spoke to us about all of the different things you could do with an engineering degree and I was sold. That fall, I applied to only one school, Purdue, early admission and got in!

Christy recently came to speak to WIEP ENGR 194 Seminar!

How do you think receiving a degree in engineering helped you in your career of becoming a doctor?

When you go into engineering school, they are basically teaching you how to think and how to solve problems. You are analyzing a bunch of different data, you are looking at the data from various angles, figuring out how to consolidate it and organize it. We are given problems and we have to solve them using different equations. Whatever class we are in, we have to come up with solutions and understand the purpose behind the problem we were given. And so, with medicine, we are essentially doing the same thing. You are given large amounts of information that you have to synthesize and organize in your head. At times, there are multiple solutions to a given problem and you need to assess all of those solutions and find the most efficient one. You also need to understand that in medicine, the solution is never simple. As you go down one path, you will always face some sort of issue and need to figure out how to adapt to that particular situation. Luckily, engineering teaches you how to think and prepares you for all of these scenarios. Also, in engineering school, you learn how to manage your time with multiple classes and assignments. Medical school honestly felt so much easier after going through engineering school. 

What advice do you have for young women considering pursuing engineering right now?

I would say, if you love math and science and you would like to solve problems. Whether those problems have to do with improving the world we live in or people’s lives. Then, engineering is great for you. Be ready to be challenged. Know that, even if you were a straight A student in high school and were involved in a lot of great clubs, sometimes you might even feel a bit dumb in college or that you don’t belong there for a moment. But that is normal life. Don’t be discouraged by it! The other part is that you don’t have to know exactly what type of engineer you want to be on day one. Just like I did, it’s okay to move around and explore a few different options. A lot of times credits will transfer over but sometimes it might even take a bit longer to get your degree. That is okay if that’s what it takes to achieve the degree that feels right for you. In high school, college and engineering might feel like this huge vast field of so many opportunities. The key is getting into a school that is a good environment for you and gives you the time to figure it out.  

Christy and her family at Disney World

How do we make the most out of our time at Purdue?

Looking back, of course, I remember my classes, my professors and enjoying the whole learning process. But what really sticks out to me is that my college experience was so important to my process of growing up. In college, you are in your late teens or early twenties and it’s a time in your life when you are starting to define yourself and mature. So know that you are still young. Be open to change and pay attention to the relationships around you. Take care of your health and well-being. Go to the co-rec, join an intramural team or the rock climbing club, do band or have a game night with your friends! My favorite memories from college are the Thursday nights when my friends and I would get together at Tarkington, order pizza and watch the TV show Friends. What’s an hour you know? If you budget an hour and take the time to do something that brings you joy, it’s always worth it.   

Aikya Chirra BME'23

WE Link Leadership Team

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