At Lucens, we believe that every medical professional has a unique story worth sharing. Our "Behind the Scrubs" series pulls back the curtain on the diverse journeys of remarkable individuals in healthcare. Through candid interviews, we explore the challenges, triumphs, and pivotal moments that shape careers in medicine.
These stories embody the Lucens philosophy: there's no one "right" way to build a fulfilling medical career. By showcasing various paths, we aim to inspire, guide, and connect the next generation of practitioners. Whether you're a student, resident, or established professional, these insights offer valuable lessons and fresh perspectives on the ever-evolving world of medicine.
Join us as we go "Behind the Scrubs" and discover the human stories that make medicine such a rewarding field.
How did your journey into medicine begin?
My journey started in South Africa, and I ended up doing medical school in the USA. That story was mostly about grit and determination. The more interesting, quirky outcome was that I ended up in ophthalmology.
I initially decided on cardiology once I’d gone into med school. I liked the way the heart worked, and I was going to do that—straightforward internal medicine, then cardiology.
I requested a rotation in anesthesia to study for board exams, but it was full, so they put me in ophthalmology instead. It was far too late to apply to ophthalmology, and it was far too competitive. It was a total long shot.
But during the rotation, I had a preceptor, Dr. Jose Ortiz, who told me I had an aptitude for it. At first, I laughed it off, but over time, I started to believe him and really enjoyed it. Dr. Ortiz even came to my wedding!
Without his encouragement, I don’t think I would have pursued ophthalmology, but once I found my passion, I made it happen despite the odds.
Can you talk about one of the inflection points where it was tough?
Life has been full of those moments. You can file me under ‘hopeless underdog’! I can’t tell you how many times things haven’t gone according to plan, but I’ve got grit. I don’t give up.
When I moved to the U.S., I gave up on my dream of being a doctor for a while because I didn’t think it would be possible. I had to redo all my prerequisites in the U.S. I was a bio major, but I had to redo basic courses like biology, physics, and chemistry because the standards were different. It wasn’t easier the second time around—it was rough!
To meet their requirements, you also have to do an English language prerequisite. And I ended up loving it. I did it at Penn. It really taught me how to be a good writer. The reason I know how to write well is because of that. So, every time I had to do something that felt kind of ridiculous like that, I really made the best of it.
Even more recently, when a job didn’t work out, I had to find my feet again. I decided to purchase a practice, and now it’s working well. I could have given up at so many points, but I didn’t. I encourage anyone facing seemingly unattainable goals to just persist.
Is there a particular patient or moment that stands out as rewarding?
We’re privileged in that it’s such an extreme experience that rewarding moments happen all the time, especially in residency.
I remember consoling the son of a patient who died of pancreatic cancer. It was the kid’s birthday and he’d just lost his dad. That experience brought me to tears. Then there’s the elation of seeing a junior resident perform their first cataract surgery, celebrating that milestone with them. Or just the small things, like patients giving you a thank-you card and saying they appreciate you.
That’s the draw for me—that’s why I love what I do.
But it’s a lot of ups and downs, and you have to be ready for that.
What’s the biggest misconception about ophthalmology?
That we don’t work hard! Ophthalmology is often seen as one of the “roads to happiness”—a supposedly easier specialty. But that’s not true. Fellowship was grueling, and even now, I’m often the last one to leave the office. You can be the hardest-working doctor as an ophthalmologist too. It’s not easy, and it’s not a specialty where you can coast. You need to maintain a high volume of surgeries to stay sharp. The challenges are real, no matter how you approach it.
"Ophthalmology has always been a tech-forward specialty, and we’re really ahead of the game with AI integration and virtual reality."
What’s happening in ophthalmology that everyone else should know about?
Ophthalmology has always been a tech-forward specialty, and we’re really ahead of the game with AI integration and virtual reality.
For example, there’s a company called Radius that’s revolutionizing visual field testing for glaucoma. The old machines cost $30-$40k, use floppy disks and are the size of a tank (!), but Radius’ product is a really nice headset. There are new devices and innovations coming out all the time, so if you’re interested in tech then ophthalmology is definitely a specialty to be following.
One thing I’m especially excited about is the Apple Vision Pro. I’m waiting for someone to fully utilize that technology because it’s unparalleled in quality and for something like visual field testing, patients are going to love it.
Staying on the topic of tech, what other technology are you using?
I used to own a computer company, so there’s quite a lot of tech in my office.
Today I just installed a scanner in the office: unboxed it, calibrated it, put it on the network, and we’re able to use it - just like that.
Honestly, I’ve got a crazy sweet setup right now. My mouse has 12 buttons just on the side of it! Button one is copy. Button two is paste. Three is delete. Five is my password to sign a script for a prescription. In total it’s maybe 20 programmable buttons. And the buttons can have little scripts. For example, you press button one and it’s post-op day one, patient’s doing well. It’s super customizable. All that can really help with productivity.
There’s also a dragon dictation tool. Everyone knows those, but not only can you use them to dictate, you can use macros and little phrases with them too. So you can say ‘cataract’ and it’ll pop out a little blob of text. And they dovetail. You can build queries on these practice management software packages. I pulled a list of 1300 patients that haven’t been seen since 2016 and generated a 50 page list of patients.
It’s nice to leverage those skills from the past and integrate them into what I’m doing now.
What advice do you have for students and residents?
You have to pick a specialty that makes it worth all the difficulties that you’re going to face. Because if you are in a specialty that you didn’t really pick and you’re not in love with, those challenges are gonna really get you down, and you’re gonna want to leave.
Your general trajectory should always be towards something constructive. Know that you’re building something and that there’s always going to be setbacks. So be ready, expect them, and realize that they’re not going to be the eventual landing point. You’re going to find a new equilibrium and as long as it’s overall higher in the end, you’re making progress.
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