Q1: Congratulations on practicing for nearly 40 years! How did you decide on this specialty and what has made you stick with it this long?
I came to Fort Wayne in 1996. Strangely enough, I initially decided on a career in endocrinology because I didn’t want to take night calls and wanted to have a life outside of work. As time went by, a lot of advancements in my specialty occurred and have kept me interested this long.
Q2: Tell us about your career journey that landed you in Fort Wayne. What is it about the city that has kept you here?
I finished up my training at the Cleveland Clinic and Cook County Hospital. My wife and I wanted to be close to her parents who were having health issues, so Fort Wayne ended up being an ideal location. Parkview Hospital was starting a Diabetes Center and was hiring, so that was another reason I moved my family here. I have seen the city grow nicely, especially downtown. What really keeps me here is the incredible patients that I continue to serve throughout the years. I’ve kept increasing my investments in the city. I now own my building and even a medical spa that I started.
Q3: In your position, what does a normal day look like for you?
I work part-time now, but typically I start my day at 8:00 a.m. I plan my day in my office, and meet my staff and office manager. I also look into any issues in the lab. Then, I start seeing patients until around 4:00 p.m. My staff is amazing and they do all the back-end work so that I can be a more productive doctor.
Q4: What is most rewarding about the work you do? The most challenging?
The most rewarding thing about my work is the look of gratitude and amazement on the faces of my patients as they continue to get better and better, when they had all but given up hope when I first saw them. I really live for those moments. The most challenging thing about my work is educating patients and their physicians to distinguish facts from myths that abound when it comes to hormone optimization.
Q5: Tell us a bit about your life outside of work. What can you be found doing in your free time? What are your interests and hobbies?
My wife and I are empty nesters now, so I spend my spare time very differently than I used to. I like to watch a lot of TV, meet with friends and family, and travel. Lately I have been visiting India more often as my dad just turned 95. My mom is 84. Since I now have freed up some time at my practice, this is working out really well. On my route to India I make it a point to stop and see other countries as well.
Q6: What do the next five years look like for you?
I will continue to manage my practice. I am looking for a strategic partner who can help the clinic broaden and go national. I do have a very successful clinic in Bengaluru, India, which I started in 2010 to promote the concept of hormone optimization. It is managed by my brother. In a sense, we are truly global even now. I have trained dozens of doctors in the science and art of hormone therapy, and I will increase that part of my work as well. I am currently working with a clinic in Michigan helping them get started. So, I will be doing more of that kind of work over the next five years.
Q7: What has been one of the most impactful moments or situations of your career?
Getting fired from Parkview was a life changing experience, as it forced me to step out on my own, which has obviously worked out very well for me.
Q8: Throughout your tenure, is there a person you have met that has had an especially positive influence on you?
In 1998, I met an amazing doctor, Neal Rouzier, at a medical conference he was hosting on bioidentical hormone optimization. This was a paradigm change for a conventionally trained doctor for me. My mind was opened to a whole new universe of evidence-based medicine and how little of this is actually practiced.
