Children follow in their parents’ footsteps and join the medical profession

Like father, like son

BY DENNY ANGELLE

Nearly every weekday afternoon, two doctors unwind from the day over cappuccino at a table in the lobby of The Methodist Hospital. Partners in medicine, they talk about patients and their respective practices.

They share more than a medical practice and a facial resemblance. The older physician, Dr. Juan Olivero, and his son Dr. Juan Olivero Jr., are both nephrologists at Methodist and one of a handful of parent-child teams practicing at the hospital.

Olivero, senior, is a respected physician with a long history at Methodist. Olivero, junior, has practiced medicine with his father since July 2006. They share an office and staff — to tell them apart, the staff calls Junior “O2.”

“I am elated … very happy to be working with my son,” the elder Olivero says. “It is truly the best thing that has happened to me here.”

Upstairs, in a busy operating room, two surgeons perform bariatric surgery on a patient while television cameras record their every move and microphones under their scrubs record everything they say. Dr. Garth Davis patiently partitions a part of stomach while his father, Dr. Robert Davis, assists and occasionally lends a comment on the proceedings.

Even though they are wearing surgical masks, it is easy to tell the two apart. Garth is the taller of the two, and the jovial Robert is identifiable by his distinctive South African accent.

The Davises have practiced together for six years. “One of the benefits of being related is that neither of us is particularly shy about being brutally honest,” Robert Davis says. “And of course, neither is afraid to give the other a hard time.”

Much of this unique chemistry was captured over the past eight months by documentary cameras from The Learning Channel, for a 13-part TV series, which premiered in May (see sidebar on page 23). When filming began, the working title for the series was Father and Son Surgeons.

“We certainly tease each other, you can’t necessarily do that with a colleague you are not related to,” Garth Davis explains. “He has certainly taught me a lot … he has taught me patience with patients. He may be a little more laid back than I am. But ultimately, I have the

Front row: Amy Coburn, Robert Grossman; Second row: Juan Olivero, Horacio Adrogue Jr., Horacio Adrogue; Third row: Juan Olivero Jr., Robert Davis, Garth Davis; Last row: Michael Raizner, Albert Raizner, Jeffrey Friedman, James Friedman

and one daughter

greatest respect for my father — as a surgeon and mentor, and especially as a father.” When Garth was going through his surgical rotation as a resident, his father was one of his teachers. “He was my student then, not my son,” Robert Davis says. “Once we were in surgery and he wasn’t holding a retractor in the right place. I became very impatient. I cursed him and said ‘move the retractor!’ And Garth said, ‘If you talk to me like that, I’ll tell my mother.’”

Sparks may not fly as readily between the nephrologists in the Adrogue family, but Dr. Horacio Adrogue, father, and Dr. Horacio Adrogue, son, never fail to challenge each other for the benefit of their patients.

“We talk on a daily basis and work out any challenges or problems we could have with a patient,” the younger Adrogue says. “Working side by side with my dad gives me the opportunity to learn about medicine and life in general. His advice has proven invaluable time and time again.” The elder Adrogue, a physician for more than three decades, welcomed his son into the practice four years ago. Although each physician has a slightly different focus in the type of patients he treats, they work together often.

Horacio Jr. says he grew up seeing the respect given to his father by grateful patients. His colleague in nephrology,

Juan Olivero Jr., also was affected by his own father’s work with patients. Sociologists who study this sort of thing have a word for it — “patterning.”

Children go into the same profession as their parents because that is what they know, and what they are used to. The younger Olivero remembers following his father to the hospital to make rounds, when he was seven or eight years old. It

was around that time he got the idea that he might like to do this for a living.

But at age 18, Olivero decided to pursue a career in business, mainly because he was intimidated by the idea of spending 10 years going to school to become a doctor. “Even though I finished my business major, deep down I still wanted to become a physician.”

Adrogue Jr., however, knew early that he would walk down the same path as his father. “In high school, I had great biology teachers and that only helped to feed the interest I already had from seeing my dad do his work,” he says.

Dr. Jeffrey Friedman, a plastic surgeon at Methodist, also had an early interest in medicine. His father Dr. James Friedman, was a long-time obstetrician/gynecologist at Methodist, a former president of the hospital’s medical staff and now retired. “I spent a lot of time working at Methodist as a teenager to solidify my career choice,” the younger Friedman says.

He worked as an orderly in the emergency department and in the OB/Gyn operating room. “The best advice my father gave me was to do what I liked to do,” Friedman says. “(My father) was an excellent example of someone who took their work very seriously, paid attention to detail and remained engaged in terms of participating in the leadership of the hospital.”

Afew more physicians at Methodist are “secondgeneration” docs with retired physician fathers: Drs. James and Jay Bennett, in orthopedics; Dr. Dan Jackson is the father of internists Drs. Richard and Robert Jackson. Others whose fathers are deceased include Dr. Sam Law, Dr. Jeffrey Jackson and Dr. Bruce Ehni.

Dr. Amy Coburn is a third-generation physician in her family; grandfathers on both her mother and father’s side were physicians. She says she was five or six years old when she decided to become a doctor.

Coburn’s father is Dr. Robert Grossman, founder and director of the Methodist Neurological Institute and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at The Methodist Hospital since 1980.

“It’s a profession in which I can make a really important difference in peoples’ lives. I saw in my father how satisfying it is to have a lifetime of learning, to build relationships, to help people and teach,” Coburn says. “Dad has taught me that it is a privilege to take care of people.”

Coburn is an ophthalmologist at Methodist. She often cares for patients with neurological disorders that affect their eyesight. “Working with him now, I still see the man I saw many years ago — kind and very good with patients,” she says.

Grossman is proud that his daughter chose medicine. He agrees that the strong family presence of doctors in the family influenced her decision.

“I had great satisfaction when she chose her profession, and now I see how patients like her and what a very good physician she is,” Grossman says.”I don’t know how much I taught her, but I can say she has taught me a great deal.”

At left, James Friedman with son Jeffrey; Juan Olivero with baby Juan Jr.

Albert Raizner with son Michael

Dr. Albert Raizner, a cardio- logist, at first thought he might be a negative influence on any medical aspirations for his son Michael. “When he saw the hours we kept and schedule I had, I felt he might be discouraged from going into medicine,” Raizner says. “Of course, he realized that medicine is an unbelievably rewarding profession.”

Cardiologist Dr. Michael Raizner has been a partner with his father for a year and a half, but the two saw a lot of each other as he did his cardiology training at Methodist for four years. “Dad has the magical combination of competency and charisma that makes him a special physician,” Michael says. “He has incredible energy and I’m proud to follow in his footsteps.”

“Working together, we have a very good balance,” the elder Raizner says. “Michael is very good about asking my opinion, and he is good about expressing his opinion. He is a colleague but there is that extra link that other colleagues do not have…we have a freedom of conversation that allows us to understand each other perfectly.”

Like many of the other fathers interviewed for this story, Raizner sees a bit of himself in his son’s medical career. “I’m impressed with his dedication and commitment and work ethic,” Raizner says. “Those are the things I have prided myself on for many years. I am proud that my son has decided to carry that along into the next generation.”

Robert Grossman with daughter Amy

TV series spotlights father-son surgeons

“Big Medicine,”a 13-part documentary series on The Learning Channel,premiered Monday,May 28,and airs every Monday at 8 PM CDT.The show features Drs.Garth and Robert Davis,surgeons at Methodist who perform bariatric weight loss surgery on overweight patients.

The series also focuses on 30 patients from the Weight Management Center at The Methodist Hospital,many of whom were obese when they decided to seek help in controlling their weight.

Camera crews followed patients and doctors everywhere — even on dates — to document these patient stories.

“My father and I have truly enjoyed watching some of our most successful patients share their stories with the country,”Dr.Garth Davis says.“Our patients are why we are in this field,and it’s remarkable to know they will inspire others to seek healthier lives.

“And of course,now everyone will see a son teaching his old man new tricks.”

But “Big D,”as Garth calls his father,conjures a few teaching tricks of his own and offers them with a quick sense of humor.His jovial approach puts patients at ease and helps prepare them for a major life decision.

“We offer a unique program at Methodist,incorporating longterm support in all of our patients’care,”Dr.Robert Davis says.“We don’t lead patients blindly into surgery,and send them on their way. Our nurses,dietitians and counselors help play a critical role in preparing them for surgery and supporting them throughout this

dramatic life change.”