Chris Darling, DO
Medical School: AT Still University: Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergrad: Binghamton University
Why Anesthesiology: I chose anesthesia because it was different than anything else. It was hands on, fast paced, and required quick decision making. It is an ever changing environment that requires interactions with and understanding of many different healthcare disciplines. I enjoy that everyday is still a challenge, and there is no other specialty that I found this with.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: My initial draw to teaching in Anesthesiology was to inspire and make a difference in the lives of residents who are going through what will be one of the most stressful times in their lives. I have also found new interests in education innovation, and for the past two years have focused on incorporating technology into education curriculums.
What were you most proud of in medical school? Graduating! I think that will be everyone’s answer, but I was also proud of the day I found out I matched into Anesthesiology close to my family in Upstate New York.
What do you do for fun? I have a 5yo son and a 1yo daughter, so most of my free time is pent with my family. We like going to parks, hiking, boating, really anything outdoors.
Kristin Bevil, MD
Medical School: University of Notre Dame
Undergrad: Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine
Why Anesthesiology: I chose anesthesiology because I loved the rapid feedback of taking care of a patient in the most unique way, continuously manipulating physiology to enable procedures while assessing, diagnosing, treating, and re-assessing with a focus always on the patient’s well-being.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: I enjoy teaching because it provides a way to “pay it forward” for all the teachers from whom I have learned as well as a way to force myself to stay up-to-date on current evidence-based practices.
What were you most proud of in medical school? In medical school, I am most proud of getting through! I have no family who are in medically-related fields and each stage of the game was a new experience. From classroom studies to clinical rotations to getting involved in research projects, I found excellent mentors and expanded my knowledge of medicine and healthcare.
What do you do for fun? In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two young children, reading, bike riding, going for walks, and baking.
James Gentry, MD
Medical School: The University of Arizona, College of Medicine – Phoenix
Undergrad: Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR
Why Anesthesiology: I love anesthesiology because I enjoy the patient relationships, the team approach to patient care, the physiology, the pharmacology, the expertise in a subspecialty! What’s not to love?!
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: There’s no greater way to help the maximum amount of people possible than to share what I have learned with others. Moreover, I would not have become an anesthesiologist without the help of others. By teaching I feel like I’m able to potentially help others the way I was helped along the way.
What were you most proud of in medical school? My proudest moment in medical school was probably simply gaining acceptance. That said, I was honored upon graduation to receive the award for “Outstanding Medical Student” in the medicine department.
What do you do for fun? My family is everything to me outside my profession. I absolutely adore coaching my 10 year old daughter’s softball team – and occasionally my 10 year old boy’s baseball team too! If I’m not doing that I enjoy time with my beautiful wife, home improvement projects, fishing, dinners out, backyard barbeques with friends, and perhaps a little bourbon.
Jared Hylton, MD
Medical School: University of California – Davis
Undergrad: a. Undergrad: University of California – Davis
Why Anesthesiology: I was drawn to the complexity and flexibility of the specialty. The practice of anesthesiology requires in-depth knowledge of internal medicine, physiology, pharmacology, and pathophysiology, but is also very much a procedural based specialty. This unique knowledge base and skill set leads to a very dynamic and interesting specialty. Anesthesiology is also a very flexible specialty in that anesthesiologists care for patients in a wide variety of settings including large inpatient hospital operating rooms, outpatient surgery centers, office-based medical practices, chronic pain clinics, and a wide spectrum of other settings. As an anesthesiologist, you can tailor your practice to fit your career and lifestyle goals. Anesthesiologists also get to work with other physicians and medical professionals from across the spectrum of surgical and medical specialties
which adds to the dynamic nature of the specialty.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: As physicians, our training inherently makes us leaders in research, patient care, and education. I feel that it is our responsibility to guide and mentor the next generation of medical professionals. I enjoy the interactions I have with medical students, nursing students, and residents. The learning is reciprocal as I often learn a lot from my residents and students when they ask questions that force me to think about clinical scenarios from a different angle.
What were you most proud of in medical school? As a medical student I was medical director of a free clinic in Sacramento, California. It was very fulfilling to help provide outpatient primary care services to those that otherwise would not have had any other avenues to address their healthcare needs.
What do you do for fun? I enjoy hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, and generally exploring the outdoors with my family. We try to travel as much as we can. I am also an avid home brewer and enjoy the art and science behind brewing your own beer and kombucha.
Lisa Klesius, MD
Medical School: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Undergrad: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Why Anesthesiology: I really enjoy seeing someone master a new concept, technique or procedure that I have just taught them. The excitement is contagious!
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: My initial draw to teaching in Anesthesiology was to inspire and make a difference in the lives of residents who are going through what will be one of the most stressful times in their lives. I have also found new interests in education innovation, and for the past two years have focused on incorporating technology into education curriculums.
What were you most proud of in medical school? Graduating! 😉
What do you do for fun? Bicycling, motorcycling, gardening, birdwatching…I love being outdoors!
Timothy McCormick, DO
Medical School: Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergrad: Azusa Pacific University
Why Anesthesiology: I was drawn to anesthesiology for a couple of reasons. First, I enjoyed the unique patient and family interactions that occurred prior to and following surgery. It is a special relationship that has to have trust formed very quickly but ends up being very meaningful to both the patients and their families. Second I enjoy focusing on single or very limited number of patients at any one time. It really makes me feel like I am providing the best possible care without being distracted. Lastly, I enjoy the procedural aspect of anesthesia because no matter how many times I do a procedure there are times when I am still challenged by them.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: I enjoy teaching because it allows me to see the change in our students and residents over the course of their training. To me, teaching a resident the basics when they begin their residency to when they graduate and see them as my colleague is the best part of my job.
What were you most proud of in medical school? My most proud moment of medical school was a medical mission trip to Mexico. It was very meaningful being able to use what I had learned over 3 years and put it into practice.
What do you do for fun? I enjoy spending time with my family doing things outdoors like biking, hiking, and skiing. Our favorite place to vacation is Door County, Wisconsin and we spend as much time as possible there throughout the year.
Eric Simon, MD
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
Undergrad: University of Miami (FL)
Why Anesthesiology: I chose anesthesiology because it is a great combination of both a cerebral and procedural specialty. We are ultimately in charge of taking care of the entire patient perioperatively, but we are constantly moving and working with our hands to do so. I thrive taking care of sick patients undergoing complex surgery because of our ability to employ all of our lines and monitors to predict and diagnose their specific pathology, then utilize our basic science and pharmacology knowledge to manipulate their physiology in real time and ultimately get them through surgery safely. There really is no other specialty like it.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: I enjoy teaching because it is truly the area where I can make the greatest difference. While I take tremendous pride in helping a single sick patient get through surgery successfully, the education of future anesthesiologists will ultimately help an exponential number of patients. Additionally, I really enjoy watching residents grow from inexperienced interns to extraordinary anesthesiologists.
What were you most proud of in medical school? I am most proud of the month that I got to spend learning and working in Nepal. I was able to use what I had learned in medical school to teach some local healthcare workers, but more importantly I was able to learn from them and learn about their culture. This experience jumpstarted my interest in global health.
What do you do for fun? I enjoy spending time with my husband traveling the world, going to Green Bay Packers or Chicago Cubs games, and going to concerts. Closer to home, we spend most of our summer time boating and most of our winter time snowmobiling.