I always had a special bond with my grandmother, who, as a nurse, was the only person in my family with a medical background. She always seemed so proud of me, even when I had early jobs volunteering in the emergency department or as an aid at my local hospital. When I made the decision to go to medical school, she was the first one I told, and still remember how excited she was.
I had a pretty typical early initial interest in orthopaedics. As an active athlete in high school and college, I had the typical injuries now an again as I was playing hockey, lacrosse, Soccer, and golf. I came across a orthopaedic surgeon at that time. I looked up at his ability to “fix” things which ignited my interest in orthopaedic surgery.
As I moved on to medical school at Penn, I was fortunate to meet future mentors. I was able to spend time working with pediatric spine surgeons at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia who exemplified everything I wanted out of a medical career. First of all, taking care of kids was fun! But also it became immediately clear to me that taking care of complex spinal problems and other pediatric orthopaedic conditions was intellectually and academically stimulating, had opportunities for research to advance our medical knowledge, and provided opportunities to positively improve kids lives. I took this energy to Boston, where I was fortunate to be mentored by many of the legends of pediatric spine surgery, which helped get me to where I am today!
