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After the initial morning visits, he and the other residents, doctors, nurses and pharmacists see patients as a group. Killings attends didactic learning sessions through the residency program, and then it’s back to taking care of patients, talking with families and scheduling consults, labs and social work. Typically, he stays at the hospital until 5:30 p.m., wrapping up a long, but rewarding day of learning on the job. 

Killings’ interest in healthcare began at home. While he was always healthy, he watched several family members struggle with treatable and sometimes preventable illnesses like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and asthma. He wanted to bring awareness, health and wellness to his family and his community. 

As a Bonner Scholar, Killings worked with preschoolers at 51���� Presbyterian Church (DCPC), where he uncovered a natural talent for encouraging, inspiring and learning alongside children. While his first experience being a role model came much earlier—he’s an older brother to six younger siblings—his time at DCPC made him realize he wanted to work with children as part of his career in medicine. 

“I found joy working with them, learning from them, just having fun with them,” he said. “Kids need to be inspired, they need to be encouraged, they need to be told that they can do whatever they want to do. Because once you get older, it's hard.”

Thanks to the Watson Fellowship, Killings spent the year after graduation studying healthcare in Zambia, India, Jamaica and Belize, taking every opportunity to work with children. This was yet another experience that helped prepare him for life as a pediatrician, where he relies on his ability to build rapport with his patients during their most vulnerable moments.