New Idaho WWAMI graduate Caleb Allred delivered a powerful and emotional address to classmates during the Transition to Residency Plenary Session in late May. He called on his classmates to embrace compassion, humanity, and intentionality as they step into residency.
Caleb shared two deeply personal experiences that shaped him as a new physician and as a person: the premature birth of his daughter and his father’s devastating ALS diagnosis.
He described how facing life’s most vulnerable moments taught him that true healing often lies beyond clinical knowledge alone.
He recounted the fear and helplessness he and his wife, Catherine, felt when they learned that their second baby, Eleanor, might not survive after Catherine went into pre-term labor at just 23 weeks.
“You would think that knowing the statistics and the clinical protocols might offer some peace,” Caleb said. “But as the seconds passed by agonizingly slowly, waiting to see what would happen, it was the prayers, the connections with loved ones, and the compassion from our providers that ultimately brought that peace.”
Fortunately, their daughter survived. Through that experience, Caleb realized that while patients need their doctors’ clinical skills, they also need their humanity.
“There’s no one ideal physician,” he reminded his classmates. “Medicine can’t always heal the body. But through your humanity, you can heal the soul.” 
Caleb also spoke about the heartbreak of recognizing the signs of ALS in his father, John Allred, a well-known OB-GYN in Rexburg. He reflected on the wisdom his father shared with him during their last outing together.
“Don’t be afraid of opposition, my boy,” his father told him. “I would not trade a single day of challenge in my life. I’m convinced that problems are blessings with promise. Lean into adversity. It’s worth the struggle to leave your loving mark on the world.”
Caleb said he’s convinced the ones who love us never really leave us.
He thanked his wife, Catherine, for her courage and sacrifice, and honored his parents’ legacy of intentional love and compassionate care. He encouraged his peers to write their next chapter with purpose, vulnerability, and love.
“Whatever story it is that you write, whether it’s in your medical career or in your home life, don’t forget to bring yourself to the table for your patients,” he said. “Be intentional about leaving a mark of love on those around you.”