Troy Glembot Wants Students to Get Hands-on Experience
Dr. Troy Glembot ’85 came to Bridgewater College from Warrenton, Va., for its strong science department and small classes where he wouldn’t fall through the cracks. Now a retired surgeon, he gives back so students can get the hands-on research experience that wasn’t available to him until graduate school.
At Bridgewater, Glembot majored in biology and chemistry and joined intramural sports and worked as a student admissions counselor, giving tours of campus and helping new students. He was invited to join the Leadership Society, which eventually became Omicron Delta Kappa, in recognition of his academics and campus service.
“I felt like there were a lot of students like me,” Glembot recalled of Bridgewater in the early 1980s. “Students from small towns who would have gotten lost” at a larger institution. “It was a really nurturing environment and helped me develop my social skills and my communication skills.”
He also connected with a few professors who were particularly supportive during his time at Bridgewater. One of them was Dr. John Martin Jr., Professor of Chemistry and advisor for the Pre-Med Society, who Glembot said helped him when he was applying for medical school.
“It took me a couple of tries to pass the MCAT [Medical College Admission Test], but Dr. Martin was really good at counseling me through that,” Glembot said. “My first day of med school was the day Dr. Martin died. But I think he would have been proud of me.”
Glembot attended Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va., graduating in 1991 and completing his general surgery residency and a research fellowship there by 1998. While he described himself as an average student at BC, he excelled in medical school.
“I was highly motivated. I wanted to be a surgeon,” he said. “And Bridgewater had prepared me to succeed. I was holding my own against students [with undergraduate degrees] from the University of Virginia and Berkeley.”
He moved to Winchester, Va., where he served as Medical Director of the Valley Health Metabolic and Bariatric Program until his retirement in 2023. Glembot also served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Virginia Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq.
About 12 years ago, Glembot was part of the first cohort of donors to The Research Experience @ Bridgewater (TREB), which provides funding for teams of BC faculty and undergraduate students to conduct research over the summer. Glembot described the research he did in medical school as impactful on his career and said he continues to support Bridgewater students in getting research experience as undergraduates.
“Part of the college experience is to do things that you might not ever be able to do again. [Summer student research] is a unique thing that separates Bridgewater from a lot of other places. It is such a cool experience for students to have this opportunity,” he said.
– Heather Cole
Published: October 9, 2026
