Steve Schwaitzberg talks being a pilot, academic surgery and SAGES education

Steve Schwaitzberg is a foregut and endocrine surgeon who is also the Chair of Surgery at the University of Buffalo in upstate New York. However, he originally wanted to be a pilot, but his eyesight wasn't good enough so somebody said you should go to medical school.

He only became interested in surgery when his original choice of internal medicine was derailed by falling out with one of his supervisors. Sometimes it is a game of chance!

Medical school and residency in Baylor in Texas exposed him to arrange of iconic figures and mentors in Surgery which set him on the path towards a research fellowship studying hypothermia.

Back in his hometown of Boston he then decided to join the army reserves and found himself involved in Desert Storm where he realized that minimally invasive techniques such as laparoscopy could make a real difference for wounded soldiers.

Fast forward a decade or more and in 2015 he moved to Buffalo while moving upwards through the ranks of SAGES, where he ultimately became President.

In this interview, we learn a lot about how mentors affect a career path and how so much of it was not planned. This is a man who believes passionately in giving back through education and assisting those who need help developing their career.

If you prefer watching rather than listening, don't forget that the full episode is available on the @Surgeonslives YouTube channel.

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https://medicine.buffalo.edu/faculty/profile.html?ubit=schwaitz

https://x.com/schwaitzberg

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveschwaitzberg/

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