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Photographs by Jay Fram
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Susan Conger, M.D.
Internist, Pediatrician/Hospital Medicine
Ranken Jordan Pediatric Specialty Hospital
On the most frustrating aspects of healthcare: “Sometimes there can be a gap in available health services for older teenagers with chronic illness or acute injuries who are in need of transitional or rehabilitative care. We are hoping to expand our inpatient bed space in the near future, which should help… Working at Ranken Jordan can certainly help put the ‘everyday’ frustrations into perspective.”
On the most significant ways that her specialty will change in the next five to 10 years: “At Ranken Jordan our approach includes what we call Care Beyond the Bedside. This means helping our patients get up and out of bed. Ventilators and other medical equipment are portable and can move with the child to the playground, the therapy gym or into the community for a trip to the movies or the park. This care model helps with the psychological and developmental healing that can come from just being kids. I think as advancements in medical procedures, interventions and technology continue, pediatric hospitalists like the ones at Ranken Jordan will play an important role in coordinating the care of medically complex children and young adults.”
On the toughest situation she’s ever faced: “Tough is actually from the other side of the bed. The patients and families here are coping with the pain and stress of illness. Some are experiencing complications or a setback from a chronic illness. Others are recovering from traumatic injuries or other acute problems that will significantly change their lives. We are able to offer them support in many different ways medically along with the help of our chaplain, social workers and pediatric psychiatrist.”
On the most rewarding aspect of the job: “Seeing a child calm while they are here, progress in their own way and tolerate activities outside of their bed, play and smile is a rewarding experience. I feel very fortunate to have met so many amazing children and families here.”
Michele Woodley, M.D.
Gastroenterologist
Missouri Baptist Medical Center
On the most important lesson she’s learned about being a physician over the years: “I learned two very important lessons when I was a third year medical student at SUNY Stony Brook in New York. I learned to listen to the patient. After I introduce myself, I make a point to listen. Listening for even just a few short minutes gives me so many clues to help diagnose the problem. The second lesson I learned was that it is important to know the patient’s social history. I need to know if the patient is juggling a full-time job, kids with disabilities, elderly parents, single parenthood, or financial stress. These impact their health, the support they can receive, and the time they can devote to getting tests and complying with treatment.”
On her proudest accomplishment: “I am most proud of the job my husband and I did raising our children. It was mostly my husband. I could not have done this without a fantastic spouse who is always there and always supportive. Every physician has a work schedule incomprehensible to those outside the profession. The physical hours and emotional energy required is unimaginable. The real heroes are the spouse and children, who repeatedly have to wait and alter their plans to accommodate us. My kids always knew that if Dad told them he was picking them up from school, he was there within 10 minutes of when he said he would be. If I was picking them up, it was a two- to three-hour window. When I would say I was on my way, my family learned to ask if I was already in the car. If not, they couldn’t count on me to be there. The hours we work are completely unpredictable. A big thank you goes out to every husband and wife and all the children of physicians who allow us to do what we do. Our profession requires the sacrifice of an entire family.”
On the most significant ways you expect your specialty will change in the next 10 years: “I think genetics will play an increasingly important role in helping us focus on those individuals who should have early testing for treatable diseases. Also, patient education regarding diet, obesity and smoking will be further emphasized. Gastroenterologists are becoming more aware of the role diet plays in intestinal health. The role food allergies and intolerances, probiotics and intestinal bacteria play in health will be better understood. New treatments for hepatitis C are emerging. Some surgeries will be performed through an endoscope instead of an incision in the skin. New surgical and endoscopic treatments of heartburn are also being developed.”
On one of her most rewarding cases: “I will always remember a young mother in her 30s who had a little rectal bleeding during pregnancy. It wasn’t that much or that often and was assumed to be due to her hemorrhoids. She came to see me for treatment of her hemorrhoids after the baby was a few months old. I recommended a colonoscopy to make sure there wasn’t an additional issue. Just because you have hemorrhoids, it doesn’t mean that’s the cause of the bleeding. A colonoscopy showed colon cancer. We caught it early enough for surgery to help. She is now able to help her children grow up. Finding an early cancer or a precancerous polyp benefits both the patient and everyone who loves them. Colonoscopies really do save lives. I see it nearly every day.”
On the toughest situation she’s ever faced: “It was very difficult when I had to be the parent and not the doctor. My daughter needed surgery before she was a year old. She was so small and innocent, and I could not explain the situation to her. St. Louis Children’s Hospital physicians and nurses took excellent care of her, and she is now a healthy college student. Two years ago, my son became critically ill. The surgeon, pulmonary doctor, nurses, and all of the employees at Missouri Baptist Medical Center literally saved his life. It was very difficult and scary to step back and experience medicine from the other side. I understand the worry family members have when a loved one is ill.”
Howard Place, M.D.
Orthopedic Surgeon
SLUCare, Saint Louis University Medical Group, SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center
On how his military background shaped his medical career and helped him during missionary work in Haiti: “My experience at West Point encouraged me to always pursue excellence and the harder rights instead of the easier wrongs, so I don’t always seek easy solutions—whether that’s good or bad… Having been in the military, I’ve been exposed to situations where I didn’t always have all of the assets at my fingertips to make the situation right, so I had to be creative and make the most of things that were there.”
On what he might have been if he weren’t a doctor: “Before going to West Point, I was kind of pegged by my parents to be an engineer because my dad worked construction. So when I went to West Point, I was exposed to a lot of different things. Besides being a career military officer, I would have been a teacher.”
On one reason he became an orthopedic surgeon: “I had five different broken bones in my upper extremities before the age of 18. My last one actually cost me more than a year in high-school sports to recover from. At the time, I was not taken care of by an orthopedic surgeon but another surgeon who was just kind of standing in and it wasn’t really his area or specialty, and I really think we might have been able to avoid some of the problems. So at that time I vowed that I would try to be a better doctor.”
Veronica Kim, M.D.
Internist
St. Luke’s Hospital, Chesterfield Internal Medicine and Rheumatology
On the most significant ways that her specialty will change in the next five to 10 years: “The number of medical-school graduates going into internal medicine and other primary-care fields has been decreasing steadily over the past few years. I think more patients will be seeing nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the future for their primary-care needs.”
On her proudest accomplishments: “Personally, being a mother to my son, Richard, is my greatest accomplishment. Professionally, practicing medicine is an accomplishment to me since I had to learn English as a college freshman when my family moved to New York City from South Korea.”
On a frustrating aspect of health care: “I always try to stay on schedule out of respect for my patients, but it is impossible to predict what each day holds. I remember getting frustrated when I ran behind schedule one day, and as I apologized to my patient, she said, ‘Dr. Kim, I know you weren't sitting around and playing on the computer. I am sure you needed to give more time to a patient who really needed it today. I am OK because I know you will do the same for me when I need more time.’"
On her hobbies outside of work: “I used to run daily until last year. After having neck surgery recently, I am trying to find a new hobby. I am thinking about taking golf or yoga lessons, and I hope I can work those into my schedule.”
Joseph Simpson, M.D.
Radiation Oncologist
Washington University School of Medicine, Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Christian Hospital
On how his specialty will change in the next five to 10 years: “We’ll not just be doing geographic or anatomical tailoring, but also physiological tailoring for patient treatments… Innovation is going on all the time, and it’s not widely disseminated in terms of the true technological and safety innovations that are making things safer, better, more specific in their actions, and limiting side effects… There’s so much behind the scenes that helps make this go right.”
On some of the most rewarding cases he’s ever handled: “Those cases that are written off as hopeless and having a very poor prognosis where for whatever reason the intervention is successful. That’s notable in patients with multicellular disease who might live for years rather than months. For example, a 10-year-plus survival with multicellular breast cancer that’s already spread to the brain. That’s not common, but I certainly have patients in my practice that meet that.”
On one of the most frustrating aspects of health care: “The main one has to do with keeping advances honestly available for patients because you have a delay in the ability of patients who receive certain treatments because their insurance companies decide it’s something experimental far beyond the time that scientific community has decided it’s not experimental. That’s purely a cost-driven decision.”
On what he might have been if he weren’t a doctor: “I might have thought of being a musician because I certainly enjoyed playing [trumpet] in band all through high school and in college.”
Nelida N. Sjak-Shie, M.D.
Medical Oncologist and Hematologist
Signature Medical Group, Women’s Oncology Center
On why she became an oncologist and hematologist: “It kind of found me. I feel that you can make a huge difference in a small individual setting. It’s not like politics, where you make sweeping difference for a country, but you make a big difference in one individual at a time.”
On the most significant ways that she expects her specialty to change in the next five to 10 years: “My excitement is that the field is moving away from a shotgun approach to more targeted treatments because of a great understanding of the different pathways that lead to the development of cancer. We’re just beginning to dig and still scratching the surface.”
On one of her proudest accomplishments: “I don’t come from money. I don’t come from this country—I come from the Third World. I was very goal-oriented and always wanted to be a physician, but I didn’t get here on my own. My parents sacrificed a lot on my behalf. I’m proud that I’ve been able to give back. When my mother turned 60, I got her a car—nothing fancy, the car she always drives, a Toyota Corolla. Hers was old and falling apart, so I had my cousin put a bow on the new one and surprise her.”
On one of the most important lessons she’s learned about being a doctor: “I am what I do—it’s not exactly a job. I don’t leave it at the office; I take it home because it’s me… I learned that as a physician, as a parent, as a caregiver, you have to first take care of yourself so that you can be there for your patients.”
Robert Blaskiewicz, M.D.
Obstetrician and Gynecologist
SLUCare, Saint Louis University Medical Group, SSM St. Mary’s Health Center
On the most important lesson he’s learned about being a physician: “The importance of listening to the patient. They offer a unique perspective on their condition and what are their concerns. Meeting these expectations depends upon carefully listening first and foremost.”
On how his specialty will change in the next five to 10 years: “The expanding technology in laparoscopic and robotic surgery will allow more complicated procedures to be performed with shorter recoveries. The application of genetic testing and targeted genetic therapies offers the prospect to change the face of medicine as well.”
On the toughest situation he’s ever faced: “Those that come to mind are the sudden problems that can occur during the labor and delivery process. Identifying them and acting quickly has the prospect of influencing that child for the rest of their life.”
On the most frustrating aspects of health care: “The ever-increasing need to spend time on the administrative end of medical care is perplexing. The electronic record has yet to reach its potential for the individual physician and to date has shifted more of the documentation and billing tasks to the physician and nurse at the bedside. Hopefully, with time, this will be lessened.”
On what he might have been if he weren’t a doctor, and what he does for fun: “I am quite sure that I would have been a high-school teacher and would have also been a football coach. My good fortune to play collegiate football underscored the importance to me of team contributions… [In my spare time], I build scale wooden models of 17th- and 18th-century sailing ships… I have recently completed a scratch-built model of the USS Constitution that is over 6 feet long and as detailed as I could make it. It has taken three years to complete.”
Jovita Oruwari, M.D.
Surgical Oncologist
Mercy Clinic, St. Louis Cancer and Breast Institute
On the most important lesson she’s learned about being a physician: “I don’t think any physician ever really does this without some other super being—whatever it might be out there—guiding us. We don’t make the decisions about who lives or who dies… I never give anybody a ‘You have a year’ or ‘five years,’ because I don’t have the power to do that. We’re not God; we don’t know how long anybody’s going to live. All we can do is use the knowledge that we have to treat them the best that we can and support them through a difficult diagnosis.”
On the most significant ways that her specialty will change in the next five to 10 years: “A lot of new data is coming out that we’re probably doing a lot more surgery for lymph nodes than we need to. I think over the next five years or so, we’ll be doing less and less surgery for lymph nodes than we have in the past. It’s kind of been trending that way for quite a few years. There’s always going to be a need for breast surgeons, but I think that the way we do surgery is changing quite a bit.”
On the most rewarding cases she’s handled: “Every time that I take care of a young woman who has children about the same age as my children and I see them through the initial diagnosis, the surgery, and any treatments. Then I see them maybe a year or two later and they’re doing well—they’ve continued their lives and are raising their families. That’s when I feel the most rewarded, because that could have easily been me.”
Charles Conway, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Barnes-Jewish Hospital
On why he chose to be a psychiatrist: “I’ve always been fascinated with why people do what they do and how the brain and mind interface with human behavior.”
On how his workload’s changed during the recession: “We’ve definitely seen a pretty significant spike in depression—without question, there’s more depression now than there was five years ago… Because depression is stress-related, it’s not surprising that with this huge increase in economic stress, you’re seeing a spike.”
On the most significant ways that his specialty could change in the future: “I think we’ll be able to personalize our treatments as we better understand psychiatric diseases. It won’t be a one-size-fits-all model anymore. This will probably be occurring through pharmacogenomics and brain imaging… For people who have these horrible mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder, these are very complicated illnesses, but I think we’re definitely making headway.”
On his hobbies beyond work: “I’m a big Cardinals fan. I also enjoy exercising, fishing, reading… I’m currently reading David Herbert Donald’s Lincoln. I pretty much read biographies and nonfiction. I like to read about famous people and try to figure out what made them the way they were.”
T.S. Park, M.D.
Pediatric Neurological Surgeon
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
On his proudest achievement, pioneering selective dorsal rhizotomy operations on cerebral palsy patients from around the world, many of whom discover Dr. Park’s procedure via Facebook: “I’ve been doing this surgery since 1987—25 years now—and we have done over 2,300 patients from 438 countries and 48 states… Last year, I did over 200 surgeries, and 90-some patients were from abroad. I don’t think there’s any surgeon or specialty in the country—I don’t know of any—who does that large of a number of surgeries on international patients… A lot stay in the Residence Inn by Marriott, and they think St. Louis is the best thing in the world!”
On one of his most rewarding cases: “A child from the UK was using a wheelchair before the surgery, and now he walks. His mom said, ‘One day, I saw my son walking home from school, and I never thought that was going to happen. I was watching him come home, and it was simply a miracle.’”
On how his specialty and others could change in the future: “The main thing is health-care costs because the rise of health-care costs is unsustainable. Our specialty and all specialties have to be more cost-efficient. We have to figure out how to provide the best care at a lower cost.”
On how he spends his spare time: “I’m a competitive ballroom dancer. I’m not just a beginner; there are three levels: bronze, silver, and gold. I’m a silver level. It’s very difficult!”
