An inside interview with LocateADoc.com
Describe the most rewarding experience that you have had working with a patient?
The best feeling is when a patient comes back a year or two later and tells me how much their surgery has positively changed their life.
What is your charity organization of choice and why?
While our concentration is on cosmetic plastic surgery, some of the most rewarding experiences are reconstructive. Last year when we went to Vietnam to repair cleft lips and palates in children, I was touched by how much we can change a child's life by performing a two hour surgery. Seeing the smiles on the mothers faces makes all the hard work and years of training worth it.
What does living in the New York community mean to you?
Before moving to Manhattan, I did not quite understand what people meant when they said NYC is the center of the world. Now that I live here, it is all clear.
What makes your specialties the right fields of medicine for you?
Aesthetic plastic surgery allows me to incorporate my creative and my analytical sides. Performing surgery requires acute attention to detail and an extensive knowledge base. However, aesthetic surgery requires a creative touch to bring it all together.
Finish this sentence: If I weren't a doctor I would be___.
I would be a teacher. One of the best parts of being a doctor is that it is a life-long learning process. As new knowledge is gained, it is my responsibility to pass it along to the next generation. If I were not a doctor, I would continue to have the urge to learn and to spread the knowledge around.
When (your age) did you first realize you wanted to become a surgeon? And did you experience anything in particular to motivate you to achieve this prestigious goal?
I remember spending time with my grandmother when I was a child. She would tell me stories of when she was a nurse in World War II. I was inspired by her commitment to the human condition and her selflessness in the face of challenges. From that young age, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. As I went through high school, I was fascinated in anatomy and biology class. At the same time I thrived in my drafting and some architectural classes. Surgery combines both my interest in structure (architecture) and function (biology) perfectly.
Can you tell us in your own words what you consider a perfect outcome of a surgical procedure?
A perfect outcome is a happy patient. My goal is to try and exceed my patients' expectations for more than just the surgery. It is my job to consult with the patient and formulate a customized plan, lead them through the pre-operative work-up and follow them through their recovery.
