Bio
I grew up in San Francisco and was medical student, Surgery Resident, Head and Neck Surgery Resident and Fellow for a total of ten years followed by being a full time Faculty Member six years, during which time I was Chief of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at San Francisco General Hospital, all before I came to Kaiser Permanente. I changed from the practice of medicine at the University to Kaiser Permanente because it allowed more family time and, in addition, the style and quality of medical care is extremely similar.
My father, who was also in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, was the best person I have ever known at analysis and figuring things out. At the age of 72, he "retired" by cutting back from six days a week to three days a week to spend more time with his family. But his family was grown and had lives of their own. Consequently, he was not able to spend as much time with us as he had planned. My father always assumed his family was eternal and would always be there. When he died suddenly in a plane crash, I realized that if you do not seize the opportunity to take time with your family you may not always have that opportunity.
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More details about my specialty:How I found my way back to Medicine
Since I was five years old, I've wanted to be a doctor. My first and favorite book was "Doctor Dan The Bandage Man." During the self discovery process that is part of going to college, I changed majors from Biology to Geology and Oceanography. Like all college kids, I thought I was bullet proof.
Consequently, when I was hospitalized and profoundly sick with viral encephalitis (viral infection and inflammation of the brain with obtundation, headache, nausea, vomiting, hemiparesis, disordered mentation and speech), my whole world stopped. I was unable to control my right side, talk normally or walk without help. I was literally unable to do anything for myself.
My right hand movements were so clumsy that I could write as fast and more legibly with my left hand and I am right-handed. My speech was no better. I knew the words I wanted to say, but I could not find them or get them out. Worse, when I would want to say a specific word like 'right,' the opposite word would come out, i.e, 'left.' During a long and excruciatingly slow recovery as I was learning to walk and talk and write, I thought a lot about how significant the care and help of the doctors, nurses, and therapists was and how much it meant to me. I thought about what it is like being a patient.
I chose this field of Medicine because of two reasons:
1) In Head & Neck Surgery (ENT) you get to care for all people: the young, the old, the healthy, and the sick, not just a single sub-group. There is no group of people that you do not treat and care for and I find that very satisfying.
2) There is no dichotomy or division between the medical aspect of ear, nose, and throat practice and the surgical side of the specialty. It is not like all the other surgical specialties where there are two specialties caring for the same organ, like a cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon are both heart doctors but one is medical and one is surgical. I get to be a primary care specialist for this whole area of the body. My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:I initially was tremendously interested in ears as an area of subspecialization and still continue to do ear surgery including the surgery for surfer's ear.
While on the faculty of the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery (ENT), I did research and published in the area of HIV infection focusing on the clinical management of the manifestations in the head and neck.
I am particularly interested in skin cancer surgery and have spent time focusing on that area during my research period at the University of California's Departments of Dermatology and Otolaryngology. Current projects or research:Last article written: The Nasion Skin Graft: A New Technique For The Reconstruction of Nasal Defects After Mohs Surgery, presented at the Western Section of the Otologic, Rhinologic and Laryngologic Society.
Medical Education:
Board Certification: Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
Fellowship: University of California, San Francisco
Intraining Fellowship Mohs 1982-83
Teacher Investigator 1983-84
Faculty: Assistant Clinical Professor, University of California, San Francisco, Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery 1989 - present
Assistant Professor in Residence, University of California, San Francisco and San Francisco Hospital 1983-89
Internship/Residency: Otolaryngology, University of California, San Francisco 1979-83
General Surgery, University of California, San Francisco 1977-79
Medical School: University of California, San Francisco 1973-77
Great health resources that I refer to:Healthy Lifestyles
http://www.ata.org/
American Tinnitus Association website
An interesting story from my training:My patients are always expecting an Asian physician. |
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People in my life:My wife, Laura, who is an ICU nurse, and I met at San Francisco General Hospital in the ICU where we worked together. We are still currently working together on our old house in Healdsburg. However, both of us are starting to feel a little like Bob Villa and Norm of "This Old House." In fact, the entire time my daughter was growing up, she complained because she has to live in a old house. The next house we buy, if we ever do, will have everything fixed or be brand new.
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Photos of my Family & Friends:
The time to be with my family |
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My pets: I have no pets nor do I need any pets because I have children. Besides, my wife, (who is a frustrated veterinarian), keeps a continuous stream of animals coming through our house, i.e. cats, bats, rats, dogs, and frogs etc. |
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An adventure I've had:As a founding member of the Surfer's Medical Association (SMA), I traveled to Tavarua, Fiji, in 1986. On our subsequent return visits we always would try and do something to improve the health of the local village of Nambila, like building them a safe water supply. What I found most interesting is when we asked the village head man, Druku, what the village people needed most for their health, his answer was that the village wanted a meeting house.
I found it fascinating that their concept of "health" for the people of the village included the health of the village as an entity, based on their own interpersonal relationships. I found this different from the way we think of public health, i.e. a pure water supply, blood pressure screening, or weight management programs for diabetics. Favorite place in the world:I love surfing and traveling in Baja, Mexico and Hawaii, especially on Maui. Growing up in San Francisco on the North Coast, it is hard not to love warm water. |
A Photo of One of My Favorite Places:
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