WHERE ARE THEY NOW? MICAH KATZ, MD

Since graduating in 2020, I moved to Ithaca in Upstate New York and love being a general surgeon.

It's strange to retrace my path here. Growing up my mom, a registered nurse, literally told me I could be anything I wanted except a surgeon. Apparently the local general surgeon was not well-liked and I'm pretty sure she meant I couldn't grow up to be a jerk. Therefore, in medical school at the University of Wisconsin, I pushed my surgical rotation to last, ready to grit my teeth and move onto eternal rounding as an internist. I was as shocked as anyone when my general surgery rotation became my favorite. I scrambled to put together an application and, when asking where to apply, I kept on hearing about Utah. There was a surgery resident at Wisconsin who wished he had chosen Utah then a urology resident who wished she had stayed in Utah, and had chosen general surgery! I had to check it out.

I remember the first time I saw Salt Lake City. My eyes were glued to the window, eyeing up what was, in retrospect, probably Lone Peak. All of a sudden the plane descended into a valley and, is there really a city here? Really? A dinner with residents who clearly enjoyed each other, a few interviews, and a hike in Big Cottonwood later, Utah topped my list. There was clearly  something special happening in this majestic setting. I was fortunate to match and arrived in Salt Lake City a few months later.

I only have fond memories of my time at Utah and that, my friends, is what we call selective memory loss. In reality, surgical residency is emotional and trying, but I can't imagine a better group of mentors and peers to share the process.

Of course life does not stop during training. During my Utah years I married my longtime partner, Jamie, who had joined me in Salt Lake City, matching in pediatrics. Two years later we had our first child, Gabe. First-time parenting for married residents is not for the faint of heart but, once again, we had the support of colleagues and peers. We nanny-shared for a period with a co-resident and had other co-residents watch Gabe a handful of times and in a pinch.

As we neared graduation, we set our sights on practices in a smaller community and closer to a set of grandparents. We were fortunate to find jobs in Ithaca, New York. I joined a group of four other general surgeons and my partners are fantastic. The grass is truly greener in Upstate New York but the skies are much greyer and the dreary winter is kind of a slog. Ithaca is "Gorges," though, and the natural beauty of the area can't be denied.

Clinically, I have taken interest in surgical quality at my hospital, Cayuga Medical Center, and serve as the NSQIP Surgical Champion. I have started a formal M&M process across the surgical specialities. Within general surgery I implemented a colorectal ERAS and am one of two surgeons that perform elective colectomies. Our hospital is affiliated with Schuyler Hospital, a small, critical access hospital the next finger lake over. There, I perform endoscopies, but am most excited to have started performing general surgery cases. Echoing my experiences in fellowship at the Center for Global Surgery, we started with a needs assessment followed by a slow progression of simple, open cases to now acquiring and training staff on laparoscopic equipment. We have a few laparoscopic cholecystectomies and hernias under our belt with plans to continue expanding surgical capacity.

Of course work is important but my family is my center. Jamie and I had Zoey in September 2020 as if moving across the country and starting new jobs in the middle of a global pandemic wasn’t enough. Gabe is now 5 and has turned into a socialite, known for talking to and hugging random people in the grocery story. Zoey loves the color pink or “pint” and being generally feisty. My cat is a lover while our 100 pound Labrador hogs the bed and once saved us from a rabid fox (true story!).

I miss my peers, colleagues, and mentors in Utah but find myself carrying the lessons learned to my clinical practice here. There are the tangibles like knowledge and technical skills, but there's something more. I carry the grit and pride of being the service others call when they need help. The specialty that cares, says yes, and engages, especially when patient care becomes hard.

Sometimes I wonder how I got to being a general surgeon in Upstate New York. It is a privilege and I am so thankful for each step that got me here, especially my time at the University of Utah.