MY BACKGROUND STORY

Why I Went to Medical School

We can’t choose where we are raised, our parents and family, or our initial circumstances. I was fortunate enough to have been raised in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota by very supportive, nurturing parents. They have been terrific role models and demonstrated through consistent words and actions that people have the potential to create their own destinies. My parents provided the encouragement, accountability, and coaching to help me believe that I could create whatever future I would like to design. They taught me how to translate that vision into action steps intended to make gradual incremental progress toward a life that would provide fulfillment, meaning, and make a positive difference for others, and for society.

I made the decision to become a medical doctor during my freshman year at college. Prior to that point I had been torn between possibly becoming a politician (because I wanted to positively impact society) or a scientist (because I love science), and then it suddenly occurred to me one day that becoming a physician would simultaneously provide me with the opportunity to make a positive difference while indulging my love of science.  Training in the art and science of medicine has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I enjoyed the process of becoming a medical doctor including my four years of premedical studies, four years of medical studies, and three years of residency training in internal medicine and primary care. It was a hard road sometimes, which required persistence in the face of challenges and making temporary sacrifices to achieve long-term goals. It was good preparation for life in general.

Primary Care as a Traveling Doctor

After completing my internal medicine/primary care training in 1996, I became a “Traveling Doctor” (at age 30). For three years I traveled to various parts of the United States on temporary (1 to 4 month) assignments to fill in for doctors who were on vacation or maternity leave, or in growing medical practices that needed temporary help until they could find a permanent doctor.

It was exciting and interesting work. During my travels, I experienced a wide variety of local cultures including small towns and big cities, different ethnic mixes, and economic situations. I worked in many different types of medical practices, clinics, and hospitals—ranging from small to medium to large. I observed a wide variety of medical problems, and different approaches to providing healthcare. It was also a great opportunity to learn about myself and what kind of doctor I wanted to become.

My travels also helped me quickly recognize that America’s healthcare system was in a bad cycle. I was concerned that patients often felt like they did not have a personal relationship with their doctor or healthcare team and often felt rushed during medical visits. I was concerned that doctors, nurses, and other medical staff also felt over-worked, under-appreciated, and that they were on an accelerated path toward future burnout. I was concerned that healthcare system administrators often felt they needed to limit patients and doctors in a variety of ways intended to limit medical costs and the insurance premiums. Their efforts to find financially beneficial solutions for patients were often causing patient and doctor dissatisfaction. I was concerned that these problems were everywhere I went, and were nationwide.

Transitioning into Academia

I decided to transition into Academic Medicine as a result of my experiences as a traveling doctor. I wanted to do something that could make a difference on a national level to help get at the root causes of so much dissatisfaction and frustration throughout our healthcare system. I also wanted to gain formal training in clinical research methods, conduct clinical research, and teach students. To do so, I attended a Clinical Research Fellowship program at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts for three years.

I quickly recognized during my fellowship training that much of the underlying cause of our broken healthcare system has been fueled by the growing financial burden of “Lifestyle Diseases”. I came to understand that the epidemics of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and related conditions were not only making millions of people sick, but also overwhelming our healthcare system. A few months into my fellowship program I decided I’d like to train in the prevention and reversal of lifestyle diseases.

Tufts University was (and is) a great place to learn about nutrition and lifestyle medicine. There I was able to learn how to conduct clinical nutrition research, analyze scientific data and results, and write scientific papers and research proposals. I had terrific mentors and teachers.