A Life-Changing Experience

Many people dream of changing careers, but Vincent Santillo ’87 has done it. At 33, after a prostate cancer diagnosis and surgery, he made a sudden decision to follow the inspiration of his doctors, leave a successful career in finance, and enroll in medical school. “My doctors got me through this ordeal physically and emotionally with skill and empathy, and I wanted to help people in the same way.”

Once he made the decision, he never looked back as he made his way through years of post-baccalaureate courses, medical school, and residency. Today, Santillo is a primary care physician with New York City Health + Hospitals and an assistant professor of medicine on the faculty of NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU-Bellevue.

The career shift was not in response to unhappiness in his prior job.

“I loved it and was on the cusp of a big promotion,” Santillo recalls. “I enjoyed building relationships, negotiating, helping people, translating complex information to help people make decisions, and treating everyone with respect, no matter what the role or situation was. That was also what I realized my doctors had done for me during my cancer treatment, and what I now love about medicine.”

As a professor, he teaches medical students in the Practice of Medicine course: how to observe, listen, and infer, deliver difficult news, or convince patients to make necessary lifestyle changes.

“It’s not as much science as it is communication,” he says.

Santillo acknowledges that this kind of life change requires determination, courage, and stamina, saying “I have firm goals but focus on the near-term to avoid freaking out. You have to remain flexible to change your mind, but I always knew this was the right path for me.”

Working on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic challenged this self-described “social animal,” especially in the early days of the virus when medical treatment options were few. Today every day offers challenge and great satisfaction.