Tell us a little bit about yourself– where are you from and where did you go to medical school?
I was born in Fort Benning, Georgia and grew up in a military household – my Dad was in the Army. We moved to West Palm Beach, Florida during high school. I’m married, my wife is a first grade teacher and we have a nine-year-old daughter Johanna, a five-year-old son Julian and an amazing Golden Retriever named Sandy. I went to Ross University School of Medicine and had the pleasure to live in Barbados for nine months during medical school.
What made you decide to get into medicine and practice general surgery?
My influence came from childhood as my mom was a medical assistant and exposed our family to the medical field through her personal experiences. I can recall back to my childhood watching a tv show with my mom which covered lots of surgery which fascinated me at a young age. During my youth, I was always intrigued with taking apart electronics or toys when they stopped working to see how they are assembled and enjoyed the challenge of putting things back together successfully. Through general surgery, I continue to live through my childhood experiences by working through a surgical problem, repairing and seeing instant results!
How do you maintain wellness here in residency?
On the weekends when I’m not working, we enjoy going to the park for a walk, riding our bicycle, or attending our kid’s soccer games. When time allows, I try to participate in soccer and basketball activities or weightlifting. Also you can never go wrong with trying new restaurants with amazing food.
You have a young family, how do you balance family life and your career?
My wellness is maintained highly through spending time with my wife and kids. When we have the opportunity, a vacation to a tropical destination is always on our bucket list, we try to do that once a year. Having a family does require time and does come at the expense of staying up late or getting up earlier to accomplish daily tasks. I make the emphasis to at least have dinner with my family in the evening and have that time to discuss how their day at school went and what they learned. Many times, this is all the time I can spare. If more time allows, I try to engage my family in activities that are primarily outdoors like working on soccer skills with my kids. Lastly, I try to incorporate a date night with my wife at least every couple of months where we go out to eat or dancing.
You are approaching completing your second year of residency, what advice might you offer to new residents joining us in June?
The most important advice I would give is to do as much travelling as possible and to spend time with your family and loved ones as much as you can. Once residency starts, the hours are long and you may not have as much time to spare and do those things you really enjoy. Also, become familiar with Gainesville and look into activities, restaurants or surrounding cities that you can enjoy during your time off. Take advantage of everything Georgia has to offer while taking your mind off work!
To learn more about the General Surgery residency program at NGMC, click here. To learn about our Wellness program, click here.