Meet Cory Walker, D.O.
Dr. Cory Walker is an accomplished internist and psychiatrist with over 16 years of experience in providing comprehensive and holistic care to adult and geriatric patients. Throughout her career, Dr. Walker has demonstrated a deep commitment to improving the mental and physical well-being of her patients through a patient-centered approach.
Dr. Walker’s holistic approach, informed by her training as an osteopathic physician and her belief that mental and physical health are interconnected, integrates traditional medical practices with alternative therapies to promote overall well-being and healing. Her expertise in both internal medicine and psychiatry allows her to effectively diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions, from chronic illnesses to mental health disorders. By addressing both aspects of a patient's well-being, she is able to provide a more complete and effective treatment plan.
Education:
Dr. Walker went to medical school at the founding college of osteopathy, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. She took an extra year in training to do an undergraduate osteopathic manipulative medicine fellowship. This gave her the unique opportunity to build her skills in musculoskeletal medicine, as well as to teach students, residents, and allopathic physicians in osteopathic philosophy and treatment. Dr. Walker continued with integrated care in her residency completing combined training in internal medicine and psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina. She earned board certification from both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Experience:
Dr. Walker joined The Menninger Clinic in 2013 as a staff psychiatrist and internist. She worked on the Comprehensive Psychiatric Assessment and Stabilization unit performing assessments of mental and physical disease and health. On holidays and weekends, she served on the internal medicine service, conducting history and physicals and managing medical ailments. After five years as a staff psychiatrist and internist, Dr. Walker became the medical and program director of the assessment division. Dr. Walker completed her decade at The Menninger Clinic as the chief medical officer on the executive leadership team with responsibility for all programs and the medical and psychiatric direction of the clinic.
Dr. Walker's dedication to providing high-quality, patient-centered care has earned her a reputation as a respected and valued member of the healthcare community. Patients and colleagues alike appreciate her compassionate bedside manner, strong clinical skills, and unwavering commitment to improving the health and well-being of those she serves.
The journey forward
When I started exploring osteopathic medical schools, I realized I really preferred the philosophical approach that a patient is a person, not their disease. That disease results from maladies in the body, but also from our physical environment, our social environment, our spiritual connection, and our ability to integrate the whole of our being. In addition, rather than the doctor being some conquering hero, in osteopathy, the belief is that the body has a tendency to heal itself and the job of the physician is to enable that process without overtaking or interfering.
Patients have been the true gift of my career—sharing their lives, their struggles, their victories, passions, and just the mundane daily events that make up a life. Naturally, it was a patient that guided me to my ultimate path of two specialties combined—internal medicine and psychiatry. I found myself thinking “really, there should be someone who could take care of both mental and physical conditions at once”. In researching this, I found others agreed with me and even had training for that! In 2008, I commenced my internal medicine and psychiatry combined residency and have been eternally grateful to that patient who led me to my avocation that has been rewarding beyond my wildest imagination.
Promoting healing and maximizing wellness can be achieved through many pathways. This may include medication, psychotherapy, behavioral interventions, social activities, spiritual exploration, development of interests and/or hobbies, navigating a life transition, or finding new purpose and meaning.
One of the things I have learned from the many people who have shared their lives with me for a period of time is that they say awful things to themselves when they are suffering from physical symptoms and especially from symptoms of mental illness. Their self-talk includes statements like “I’m lazy”, “I deserve this”, “I’m bad”, “I’m not trying hard enough”, “Maybe I want to be sick/feel bad”, “I’m a failure”, and “I don’t deserve to take up space on this planet”. So far, this has never proven to be true. Each of these people has had a number of things happen to them that outstripped their ability to continue to persevere and thrive. They were not broken, needing to be fixed; they were in pain and needed comfort and healing.
Approach to care:
© Copyright. All rights reserved.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.