OK, so I admit to brainwashing my
children from a young age to hate Duke athletics. It’s my obligation as
responsible parent in the non-Duke ACC (and it will save me thousands of $$ in
tuition later). But after my recent visit to the Department of Radiology at
Duke University Medical Center, I have to admit that I would send my children
there for radiology training in a heartbeat.
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| The Radiology Residents at Duke University |
The day started out in the morning
with grand rounds, which was extremely well-attended by residents, faculty, and
fellows, followed by some interesting discussion. I appreciated that I couldn't see a single person snoozing during my 50 minute presentation, although I
suspect it had less to do with my skill as an orator and more to do with the
fact that they served enough coffee at the entrance to the auditorium to kill a
horse.
I was whisked away after the
presentation (possibly to stem a riot), so I narrowly missed a chance to hang
with SAR member and Duke AI Fellowship Director Raj Gupta. But I did have ample
time to learn about the radiology residents’ experience from Duke resident Alan
Cubre. I tried torturing him into
revealing compromising details about members of the Abdominal Imaging section,
but even after an hour of listening to my life’s story, the most he would tell
me is that SAR member and vice Chair of Academic Affairs Rendon Nelson secretly
roots for UNC (I hope this doesn’t get Rendon fired).
Speaking of Rendon, he was kind
enough to host me for dinner the night before my talk along with SAR members
Tracy Jaffe (Division Chief) and Mustafa Bachir (Director, Center for Advanced
Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Rendon and I go way back to my radiology residency
interview at Emory University (my alma mater). Where most residency
interviewers saw an undistinguished kid with bad hair and a cheap suit, Rendon
saw a future SAR visiting professor with bad hair and a cheap suit. Regardless,
he has become a lifelong friend and ally in my attempts to drive mediocrity
from my career. Thanks Rendon!
Before I was to give my resident
conference on CT of abdominal pain, SAR member and Duke Radiology Chair Erik
Paulson took me on a personalized tour of the medical campus (Erik is proof
that nice guys can successfully run radiology departments). Copious green space, accentuated by serene
landscaping, makes the Duke medical campus one of the prettiest I've encountered. During my tour, I mentioned to Erik that I was intrigued by the
length and detail of my introduction at grand rounds. I was even contacted by
e-mail in advance by resident Ben Wildman-Tobriner to ensure that the
introduction had the right balance of academic detail and personal touch (he
did a terrific job, by the way). Erik explained to me that Duke emphasizes the
importance of public speaking to their residents, considering each resident to
be a future ambassador for the department. Introducing speakers at grand rounds
is considered an important part of that training. What a great concept!
Not surprisingly, the residents performed well in conference, although they seemed reluctant at first to speak out. No doubt they were familiar with my fierce reputation as a board (aka bored) examiner (Reed didn’t call me “the human marshmallow” for nothing). However, once they were convinced that the bruises would heal, they proved themselves worthy of the Duke reputation. Now if only the Duke basketball team would follow their example and make something of themselves…
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| The Medical Center |
Not surprisingly, the residents performed well in conference, although they seemed reluctant at first to speak out. No doubt they were familiar with my fierce reputation as a board (aka bored) examiner (Reed didn’t call me “the human marshmallow” for nothing). However, once they were convinced that the bruises would heal, they proved themselves worthy of the Duke reputation. Now if only the Duke basketball team would follow their example and make something of themselves…
P.S. Devils are supposed to be red,
not blue.
