Dallas_Medical_Journal_February_2021

Dr. A. Joe Saad Dr. Deborah Fuller What inspired you to go into medicine? Love for biology; inspiration from doctors who took wonderful 10 DALLAS MEDICAL JOURNAL • February 2021 care of my father. The best part of practicing medicine is… the fact that there is never a boring day at work. If I weren’t a physician, I would be… a teacher. When I fi rst became a physician, I never expected… how much technology would be a part of my day. My favorite vacation was to… Australia! The book I’m reading now is… 12 Rules of Life by Jordan Peterson. The most recent TV show I binge watched was… The Crown. What is your favorite app on your phone? Podcasts/Music App. Name a quote that has meaning for you: Be the change you want to see. Who do you look up to as a mentor? Books are my favorite kind of mentors. Dr. Archana Rao What inspired you to go into medicine? I drifted into medicine. An interest in sciences, friends that were pre-med, and a desire for a career that could make a difference guided me in that direction. I am humbled and grateful to be a physician. The best part of practicing medicine is… being a pathologist and interacting with my clinical colleagues across almost all specialties. Although we are often referred to as the “doctor’s doctor,” my role is to deliver the best possible patient care that I can. If I weren’t a physician, I would be… I would have followed in my father’s footsteps and become a civil engineer. It was a close call because I entered university as a double major in engineering and biology and I quickly realized I would have to drop one or the other. When I fi rst became a physician, I never expected… a career as gratifying as it has been. I truly love my job. The book I’m reading now is… The Great Infl uenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry. My four fantasy dinner guests would be… Hippocrates, Galen, Ibn Sina, and Anthony Fauci discussing our current pandemic. My fi rst job was… working on a construction site. I was 14, and my father was the engineer, so I received preferential treatment! What is your favorite app on your phone? The New York Times. I am a news junky so that is very fi tting. Where would you like to live if you could live anywhere in the world? A stable and prosperous Lebanon in a peaceful Middle East. I grew up in Beirut so I must dream and hope for the impossible or at least the improbable. Who do you look up to as a mentor? My life mentor has to be my father. He taught me by example humility, integrity, honesty, and compassion. I strive to be more like him every day. What inspired you to go into medicine? Having mononucleosis in high school. I was seen by several physicians locally in Euless (a family practitioner and my pediatrician) who couldn’t diagnose me, giving me penicillin. I was eventually referred to a female adolescent medicine specialist in Fort Worth, associated with Cook Children’s. She made the diagnosis quickly after a very thoughtful, thorough history and physical and lab work. I had never met a female physician before. I was awed and impressed, reinforcing my already budding desire to enter medicine as a profession. The best part of practicing medicine is… my patients. Patient interaction in the offi ce at the time of annual exams allows me to know the patients, their families, their personalities. But I also love robotic surgery and still love delivering babies! If I weren’t a physician, I would be… a legislative lobbyist for medicine, likely with the TMA or UTMB. When I fi rst became a physician, I never expected… to need the insurance, business, and EMR knowledge required of all physicians today in order to stay current in the world of medicine. My favorite vacation was to… To Europe, where I took a chateau driving tour through France and Italy culminating in Florence, where I enjoyed amazing museums and dining. My favorite movie is… The Sound of Music. Close second: The Graduate. My four fantasy dinner guests would be… Thomas Jefferson, Soranus, Elizabeth Blackwell, and Mahatma Gandhi. Name a quote that has meaning for you: “Success is not fi nal; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”