A DAY IN THE LIFE OF …
Brittney DeClerck, MD ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CLINICAL PATHOLOGY AND DERMATOLOGY, KECK MEDICINE OF USC B Y C A R O LY N M E E R S
6:15 a.m. I’m up. No alarm needed. Actually, I can’t remember the last time I set an alarm. 6:30 a.m. Ideally, I go for a run in the morning, just around the neighborhood. Anywhere between 3 and 5 miles. I have a running playlist that has good beats that motivate me to keep going—artists like The Teskey Brothers, which is folksy, ’70s-inspired soul. Also some Harry Styles, Leon Bridges, Lizzo, Beyoncé. On the days that I don’t exercise, I always feel a difference in my energy and focus. A good run sets the tone for the day.
cise—and don’t forget hydration—DeClerck’s daily routine is admirable, to say the least. She sees general dermatology patients and those with
cutaneous lymphoma, her subspecialty. Here, we tag along for a day, which starts with a jog, ends with The Great British Bake Off—and covers a lot of ground in between.
7:45 a.m. I head to the clinic. I need to be there by 8 a.m. to start seeing patients, so on my clinic days my husband takes the kids to school. My husband is a great smoothie maker, and most mornings he’ll make one that I’ll take with me and sip throughout my clinic appointments. Lately, he’s been making fresh turmeric smoothies with carrot, lime, coconut water, ginger, honey, and a dash of cayenne. Such great flavor and great antiinflammatory benefits, too.
TH I S PAG E: R AW PIX EL LTD. / EN VATO EL EM ENTS; P H OTO CO U RTE S Y O F K EC K M ED I CI N E O F U SC
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alancing patients, lab time, family, daily exer-
7:00 A.M. When I get home, my kids— they’re 6 and 9 years old—are usually up and we work on getting breakfast together and their lunches made for school. For breakfast we keep it simple with toast, eggs, and fruit. But sometimes we’ll make some breakfast burritos, which we all love. I’ll have whatever they are having, make coffee or English breakfast tea, and listen to the news, shower, and get ready for the clinic. I’ll often listen to The Daily or NPR’s Up First to get all the day’s news.
