Surgeons’ Lives - Stuff that Matters

Tom Watson talks about past days training models, malignant culture and stoicism

Tom Watson is a thoracic surgeon of excellence and works at Corewell Health in Michigan.
A Midwestern boy by background he became part of the USC esophageal gang under the mentorship of Tom DeMeester.
He then spent 20 years at the University of Rochester where he rose through the ranks to become Professor of Surgery and then in 2016 moved to become a system chair at MedStar in Washington DC.
That wasn't an entirely happy experience and he talks about unhealthy organizational cultures being the trap that awaits the unwary.
He is now happily based near Detroit and once again a highly successful clinical academic surgeon. He talks about his newfound faith in the concept of stoicism, as well as his musical background in college where he played in abandon to make beer and food money.
Anyone planning to rise up through the ranks of Surgical leadership should listen to this interview and understand some of the real world challenges.
If you prefer to watch, then don't forget this is available on @Youtube @surgeonslives
 https://www.ctsnet.org/home/thwatson
https://doctors.beaumont.org/provider/thomas-j-watson/1922627
 

Phil Schauer - Bariatric Surgery, bigotry, future adventures and making a difference

Phil Schauer is one of the nations best known bariatric surgeons.
He spent many years and rose to fame in the world of metabolic surgery when in the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio before recently moving to Louisiana and the Pennington Research Institute where he continues to make a difference to patients with morbid obesity and metabolic syndrome.
In this discussion, he describes how Bariatric Surgery was the redheaded stepchild of Surgery for many years and suffered from bias and bigotry, as well as the refusal to accept that this was an actual disease process. Despite this, the number of bariatric procedures being performed continues to grow day by day with better and better outcomes.
In this wide ranging interview, Phil tells us about his early life in Texas stumbling into the world of MIS and learning from others around the world how to make an impact and improve the lives of many patients.
He's a true surgeon scientist with almost 400 peer reviewed publications and can't decide whether he prefers wine or beer. He's a big Beatles fan and would like to have dinner with Muhammad Ali.
Don't forget to like and subscribe to the channel and if you prefer to watch then don't miss the @YouTube video version
https://www.fmolhs.org/sgbr/about/philip-r-schauer
Twitter https://x.com/pschauermd?lang=en
https://asmbs.org/about/asmbs-presidents/philip-r-schauer/
https://www.pbrc.edu/research-and-faculty/faculty/Schauer-Philip-MD.aspx
 
#morbidobesity #bigotry #fakediets #bariatricsurgery #gastricbypass #gastricsleeve #lapband #surgery #lifestyle #worklifebalance #societyelections #leadership #MIS #laparoscopy

Tom Varghese - Surgeon, Double Immigrant and serious thinker

Tom Varghese, MD,  is the chief of the section of Thoracic Surgery at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah. He's also many other things, including the president of the Society of University Surgeons and one of the founders of the Strong for Surgery program in the American College of Surgeons.
He's been NIH funded for quite some time now and is heavily focused in the areas of quality and integrated care. However, he is very much more than that.
He was born in India and immigration to America following his father who won the green card lottery. He then went back to India for medical school and back to America again to start and completes surgical training. So he knows all about being considered different remembering that he was different in America and now was different in India.
He has a lot to say about the changing environment of healthcare, including the development of integrated care and challenges facing academic medical centers, as well as the roles of mentors throughout his career.
In this conversation, we also ask what he thinks might lie in front of those of us in the healthcare industry - the next big thing?
Don't forget if you prefer to watch as well then head over to the @SurgeonsLives channel on YouTube.
Please take a moment to like and subscribe and send us your comments regarding this or any other of the interviews.
#Immigrant #Surgery #Lifestyle #IntegratedCare #Bigotry #Different #Cancer #BusinessOfHealthcare #FutureChallenges #Diversity #Disparities #Quality #AmericanCollegeOfSurgeons
https://medicine.utah.edu/surgery/cardiothoracic/news/2022/08/dr-varghese-has-accepted-role-of-associate-chief-medical
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomvarghesejr/recent-activity/all/
Twitter or X https://x.com/tomvarghesejr
 

Scott Silvestry - heart transplants, Ferraris, Bronx origins, learning life. It's all here!

Scott Silvestry MD is the current Division chief of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at the University of Arizona, Tucson.
But he is so much more than that.
He was drawn to Medicine and Surgery by family tragedy, leaving the close community of the Bronx to become a doctor. He spent his formative residence years in Duke, or he had the opportunity to learn much – not all good – from the legendary Dr. David Sabiston.
After residency, a period of research followed before he became a star in the field of heart failure, and heart transplantation while on faculty at the University of Washington in St. Louis. Following a few years in Florida, he recently moved to his current position in Arizona where he is now revamping the Transplant program.
In this fascinating interview, he talks about family influences, behavioral changes over the years, constantly pushing the boundaries of technology and challenges for the benefit of his patience and always questioning dogma.
His passion for cars was learned watching his dad with various wonderful machines such as a 427 Cobra, an early Ferrari as well as a very rare Lamborghini. He is certainly followed in that tradition over many years steadily creating a wonderful collection of elegant Ferraris, including some really special cars that he talks about during this discussion.
Don't forget to like and subscribe this video and send us some comments please If you prefer to watch rather than watch, then the interview will be available on the @Surgeonslives YouTube channel.
https://surgery.arizona.edu/news/department-surgery-welcomes-new-division-chief-cardiothoracic-surgery-dr-scott-silvestry
https://www.doximity.com/profiles/0c0f74e1-27b0-41a7-8d22-41c9a10a07fd/view
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-silvestry-aaa26626/
https://x.com/ssilvestrymd?lang=en @ssilvestryMD
#lifestyle #passion #surgery #hearttransplant #Ferrari #Lamborghini #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #Learningbehavior #challenges #worklifebalance #ECMO #Cobra #Surgeonslives #Stuffthatmatters
 

Mary Hawn talks surgery, Stanford, long distance relationships and couples matching.

Mary Hawn is the Chair of Surgery at Stanford and a highly successful academic general surgeon. For her, life started on the shores of Lake Michigan but after medical school she spent time in Oregon doing a fellowship before joining the UAB faculty in Birmingham. She spent 14 years there rising to become Division of General Surgery.
Along the way she married Eben Rosenthal, a high flying academic Head and Neck surgeon and they raised two children. The next move for them both was moving to Stanford where she became Chair and Eben was working as a cancer surgeon and researcher.
Not quite 3 years ago Eben took a leadership role at Vanderbilt so clearly, Mary's views on managing that lifestyle are very interesting to hear. Indeed, she has much to say about several aspects of modern surgery and society in general
Don't forget to like, subscribe and comment please - and if you prefer to just watch instead then we can be found on YouTube of course - #SurgeonsLives channel.
#lifestyle #couplesmatching #worklifebalance #internettrolls #academicsurgery #surgery
https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/mary-hawn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Hawn
https://x.com/maryhawn?lang=en

Nick Stafford OBE - surgeon, charity, classic cars and buying a pub!

Nick Stafford OBE retired a few years ago as Professor of Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Hull in the UK.
However, there is way more to Nick that his surgical achievements. As Co-founder of the Daisy Appeal Charity his leadership raised many, many millions and the creation of a unique PET scanning center in Hull - achievements acknowledged by the award of the OBE.
He is a serial classic car enthusiast owning more than 50 cars over the years. Now he has an original Mini Cooper and a Porsche 356 for fun but is always thinking of the next purchase.
A few years ago he bought a pub and restaurant near his home - despite knowing next to nothing about the business. As he tells us, it wasn't a success in financial terms but wasn't all bad and he and his daughters had some fun.
If you prefer watching, this is available on YouTube but either way please like and subscribe and send us some comments
https://justbeverley.co.uk/articles/prof-nick-stafford-obe-director-of-the-daisy-appeal
https://daisyappeal.org/pages/patrons-trustees-and-benefactors
https://www.thehullstory.com/allarticles/daisy-appeal-wykeland-donation
#lifestyle #daisyappeal #surgery #worklifebalance #restaurants #classicscars #universityofhull
 

David Rothenberger MD - Making a Difference

David Rothenberger came from the humblest of beginnings in South Dakota with no plans for college never mind a stellar career in surgery.
He witnessed family tragedy with two infant deaths and decided immediately to become a doctor. And so he did with a combination of government loans and scholarships.
He liked the look of the Princeton brochure so applied there before returning to Minnesota and Tufts for medical school.
Slowly but steadily he grew and built a colorectal practice and reputation and ultimately became Department Chair and President of ASCRS - and then an accident resulted in a neurological injury and no more surgery.
Since then he continues to contribute within the University, working on faculty development, mentorship and helping with burnout reduction.
Don't miss this interview of wisdom and advice - and don't forget to listen on your favorite podcast platforms
Please like and subscribe and comment
#surgeonslives #stuffthatmatters #rothenberger #podcast #universityofminnesota #surgery #lifestyle #worklifebalance #legacy #burnout #makingadifference #careerdevelopment #colorectalsurgery #ascrs
https://med.umn.edu/bio/david-rothenberger https://med.umn.edu/surgery/news/connection-community-celebration-work-david-rothenberger-md https://fascrs.org/videos/david-a-rothenberger,-md-reflects-on-the-specialty

Professor John MacFie - retired but still vexed!

In this latest episode of #Surgeonslives we hear from Professor John MacFie who is now happily retired from a stellar career in surgery in the UK.
Rising to the Presidency of #ASGBI he was a superb clinical surgeon, researcher and mentor of many. His views on that part of life are worth listening to as always.
However, he also discusses what has vexed him in recent years about the rise in medical litigation and the role played by doctors in convicting other doctors in court. Do not miss that part of the discussion.
We mention a few cars and the joys of wood turning along the way with some mentors and other #Stuffthatmatters in careers and life.
Even though the audio quality may not be the best on this occasion, you will find his thoughts well worth hearing.
Don't forget to like, subscribe and comment You can also watch the video on @Youtube
 

Sir Neil Mortensen talks life, surgery, farms and opera

Professor Sir Neil Mortensen grew up in a humble and evangelical family, went to medical school as something worthy and became a surgeon probably because of a student mentor.
After that, there was no stopping him as he rose through the ranks to the very, very top as a world renowned colorectal surgeon and most recently President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
The interview starts with him recounting the horrors of his house burning down while he was traveling and takes us through some great stories and experiences - and what he believes is truly important as a surgeon and as a human being.
And lets not forget being an aficionado of Real Tennis, a major opera fan and starting the world famous Alpine Colorectal Meeting.
Don't forget to like, subscribe and comment If you prefer to watch this is also available on YouTube #SurgeonsLives http://www.youtube.com/@surgeonslives
https://www.nds.ox.ac.uk/team/neil-mortensen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Mortensen
https://www.facs.org/for-medical-professionals/news-publications/news-and-articles/bulletin/2019/11/citation-for-prof-neil-mortensen-mbchb-md-ma-frcseng-frcpsglasghon-frcsedhon-frcsihon/
https://occtopus.org.uk/trustee/professor-neil-mortensen/
 

Herb Chen and being organized

Herb Chen is a pretty accomplished guy when you think about it! Having said that, I have accused him of being worryingly organized!
 
Dr. Chen is Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the Surgeon-in-Chief of UAB Hospital and Health System, and the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. He is a Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Biomedical Engineering, and holds the Fay Fletcher Kerner Endowed Chair.
He is the American Cancer Society MEN2 Thyroid Cancer Professor.
Dr. Chen is the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Surgery.
Born in Staten Island he grew up in a small Wisconsin town, the son of an Orthopedic surgeon. His training CV is exemplary - Stanford, Duke, Hopkins - I mean C'mon Man!
He spent 15 years in Madison, Wisconsin where he laid the bedrock of an outstanding career before becoming the Chair in Alabama a decade ago. He is a man of his time - an his time involves surgical science, work-life balance, diversity and inclusion.
And he has a secret ambition that perhaps panders to his penchant for excessive organization!!
You can also watch this on YouTube - I want these interviews to form a small part of surgical history. 
 
https://www.uab.edu/medicine/surgery/breast-endocrine/faculty/herbchen
https://www.carcinoid.org/doctor/herbert-chen-md-surgical-oncology-general-surgery/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/herbert-chen-57895752/
X- @herbchen
https://societyofclinicalsurgery.com/senior-members/chen/
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UvXGbfIAAAAJ&hl=en