by Laura Turner
SDN Staff Writer

In 1987, NOVA’s cameras began rolling to chronicle the lives of seven medical students embarking on their years-long journey to become doctors. From their first days at Harvard Medical School to the present day, none of them could have predicted what it would take, personally and professionally, to become a member of the medical community.

The final installment of NOVA’s Doctors’ Diaries is a two-part special premiering Tuesday, April 7 and 14 at 8pm ET/PT on PBS (check local listings).  The longest-running U.S. documentary of its kind, Doctors’ Diaries begins by reuniting the physicians on the steps of Harvard Medical School 17 years after graduation.

The seven physicians profiled in NOVA's "Doctors' Diaries" (photo credit: NOVA - Betsey Cullen)

Footage from the previous four installments in the series offers a rare and candid look at the rewards and personal sacrifices each has made over the last two decades – from the stress of medical school exams, to the first cut into a cadaver, through first wedding ceremonies (and sometimes second or third), internship, residency, and life as a certified M.D.

The seven physicians featured in Doctors’ Diaries have taken divergent paths:

• Tom Tarter, Bloomington, IN – The Bronx-born, long-haired, tattooed ER doctor has constantly grappled with how he is perceived as a physician. After his contract was terminated at the local hospital he became an itinerant M.D., forcing him to look for work in distant locations. Once a bouncer, an Olympic-hopeful weight lifter, and a mechanic, Tom is now on his fourth marriage and struggles to make ends meet.
• Jane Liebschutz, Boston, MA – Currently an internist specializing in underserved populations, domestic violence, and addictions. NOVA was there for the gut-wrenching moment when Jane experiences a patient dying in the operating room for the first time.
• Jay Bonnar, Belmont, MA – This private practice psychiatrist is also involved in outpatient group therapy and teaches at the hospital.
• Elliott Bennett-Guerrero, Durham, NC – A successful anesthesiologist who picked his specialty partly based on the less demanding hours-this now affords him more time to be at home with his second wife and two young sons and pursue his new passion: golf.
• Luanda Grazette, Thousand Oaks, CA – Originally trained as a clinical cardiologist, Luanda now works for a pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that will help heart patients.
• David Friedman, Baltimore, MD – As an ophthalmologist and professor at Johns Hopkins University, David aims to one day establish a hospital to provide eye care to the millions of people worldwide who currently have no way to improve their poor vision.
• Cheryl Dorsey, New York, NY – Although she eventually completed her pediatrics training, she never practiced. Cheryl put her residency on hold to found a program that provides free curbside health services for minority communities; today she is the president of the same nonprofit that funded her Family Van mobile clinic.

Producer and director Michael Barnes recently spoke with The Student Doctor Network about Doctors’ Diaries. Read the full story

Updated for 2008-2009 Application Year

Visit Kaptest.com for more information and
SDN Member discounts on Kaplan Courses and Materials.

By Janani Krishnaswami, M.D.
Kaplan Admissions Consultant

The school interview inspires anxiety and anticipation in many applicants. A test of poise and communication skills, the interview is a key component of the school application package.

The process inherently benefits those who are:

• Relaxed
• Sincere
• Articulate
• Aware – of both their own motivations for seeking medicine (i.e., self-awareness) and “externally” aware (i.e., current events, salient healthcare issues)
• Able to comfortably carry on a conversation covering a wide range of topics (which stems from all of the above).

Read the full story

Dr. Harry Rosen was born in Israel and received his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Northridge. He attended The Sackler School of Medicine, obtaining his M.D. in 2000.

He completed his residency at West Los Angeles Veterans Administration in 2004, and he currently works as a hospitalist at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Southern California. Most recently, Dr. Rosen has written “The Consult Manual of Internal Medicine.”

Editor’s Note: For more book information and sample content from “The Consult Manual of Internal Medicine”, please visit http://www.medconsultpublishing.com.

Q: Describe a typical day at work

A: A usual day at work starts off at about 9am when I arrive at the hospital and start on my first can of Pepsi or Coke — or, if I feel daring, a Mountain Dew. The caffeine and sugar help start the day off with a sweet pick-me-up.

Read the full story

by Ellie Moradi
SDN Staff Writer

Otha Myles, M.D. is the Deputy Chief of Epidemiology and Threat Assessment at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research’s United States Military HIV Research Program in Rockville, Maryland.

Dr. Myles graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He went on to complete his residency in internal medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. followed by a fellowship in infectious disease. He was also a recipient of the U.S. Military’s Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP).

Dr. Myles has become one of the leading researchers in the field of HIV. His involvement includes projects in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Dr. Myles recently sat down with SDN to give us a glimpse into the lifestyle of an Infectious Disease specialist. Read the full story

by Michael O’Brien
SDN Staff Writer

After starting out as a failed journalism major, Dr. Lawrence Terra wound up graduating Phi Beta Kappa from a prestigious midwestern university with a B.A. in Psychology. He graduated with High Honors from an University of California medical school and now pursues his original dream of journalism through a popular blog.

He completed a four-year OB/GYN Residency and then went on to a Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI). He has worked with many of the pioneers in the field of In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Dr. Terra is currently in full-time private practice as the Medical Director of an IVF program in Southern California. He is a sought-after lecturer, giving educational talks to hundreds of physicians and medical students annually. Dr. Terra is a Board-Certified Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and an active faculty member at two medical schools.

He recently sat down with SDN to give us a glimpse of life as a Reproductive Endocrinologist. Read the full story

by Veronica Tucci
SDN Staff Writer

John T. Sinnott, MD, FACP is the Director of the Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine at the University of South Florida College of Medicine.

Recently, he sat down with SDN to give us a glimpse into his career as an Infectious Disease specialist.

Describe a typical day at work.

I don’t think there is a typical day at work for me. It seems that each day is full of something new and exciting and different. One day I may be teaching concepts of diagnosing illnesses to medical students, the next day working on a grant and the day after that analyzing an epidemiologic study. To me the best part of my job is that there are no typical days.  Read the full story

by Sarah M. Lawrence
SDN Staff Writer

Michael Rack, MD grew up in Southern California. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1997. He completed combined residencies in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at West Virginia University-Morgantown in 2002. He completed a Sleep Disorders Medicine fellowship at the University of Mississippi in 2003.

He stayed on at the University of Mississippi as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine until 2005, when he left to start Somnus Sleep Clinic in Flowood, MS.

He is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Psychiatry), and the American Board of Sleep Medicine. He is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.  Read the full story

by Sarah M. Lawrence
SDN Staff Writer

Dr. Dennis C. Stokes is a Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Program in Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at Children’s Medical Center-St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital-UT Health Science Center. He is also the Director of the University of Tennessee Cystic Fibrosis Care and Research Center.

Dr. Stokes graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and obtained a Master of Public Health degree from Indiana University-Purdue University. He completed his medical internship and pediatric residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, with fellowship training at Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Harvard University Medical School.

Dr. Stokes has consistently been named among America’s Best Doctors®, and is known for his expertise in asthma and cystic fibrosis. Read the full story

By Brandon Pardi

Dr. William Baker is an anesthesiologist working in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Baker was in private practice for 18 years and recently joined the faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham as an assistant professor.

Dr. Baker received his medical degree in 1985 from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in Mobile and completed an internship at Louisiana State University Medical Center from 1985 to 1986. He did his residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center from 1986 to 1989.

Recently, SDN had a chance to sit down with Dr. Baker and discuss his career and the practice of anesthesiology: Read the full story

By Juliet Farmer
Staff Writer

David C. Hilmers, MD, EE, MPH, is as assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, in the Department of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, Section of Academic General Pediatrics.

He attended Baylor College of Medicine, where he received his MD and served his residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and attended University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health, where he received his MPH.

Hilmers is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the American College of Physicians. His research interests include international medicine, humanitarian relief and education, nutrition, tropical diseases, and aerospace medicine.

Before entering the medical profession, Hilmers was a NASA astronaut and flew four missions on the space shuttle, logging almost 500 hours in space. Read the full story