Ask Dr. Brian C. Ward, an assistant professor of surgery in the UNLV School of Medicine, why he chose to become a general surgeon and you hear a lot about engineering.
“Surgery just made sense to me as an engineer — take things apart, fix them, put them back together,” said Ward, who treats patients with a wide variety of conditions, including hernias and diseases of the breast, stomach, colon, small bowel and gallbladder. “Like engineers, surgeons restore form and function. Both professions test their hypotheses in the field and have the pleasure of seeing the results of their labors. Both surgeons and engineers must make challenging decisions with incomplete sets of data. As in engineering fields, technology is pervasive in the field of surgery.”
Ward, who completed his general surgery residency at UNLV in June, has an engineering background. He received his bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University prior to attending Indiana University for his medical degree. Even while in medical school, he couldn’t stay away from engineering, earning his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at Purdue at the same time as he completed his MD.
“I think I was born an engineer,” said Ward, who started his career as a chemical engineer with Procter & Gamble and later was named as co-inventor on three patents for research done at Purdue, including an invention aimed at regenerating human cartilage.
Why did you end up going to medical school if you were born an engineer?
One of the visiting professor faculty in chemical engineering was an engineer who became a pediatrician and worked to treat infant respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. He introduced me to the world of MD/PhDs. I never really grew up wanting to be a doctor. However, I just kept coming back to the idea of how training as an MD/PhD could teach me to master the languages of academic research, biomedical engineering, and medicine. I could potentially improve the lives and health of many people and be in a career that I could be passionate about and learn new things for the rest of my life.
How has COVID-19 affected you as a surgeon?
Surgery has definitely slowed down. I think that many people are still afraid to go to the doctor and hospitals for fear of contracting the virus. I fear that many people are putting off addressing surgical issues that may cause them significant morbidity or even mortality. Clearly, the societal impact of COVID reaches far beyond contracting the infection.
What trait do you like most about yourself? What would you change?
I like that I have had diverse educational and career experiences. I think that my diverse experiences help me to contribute to groups in unique ways. I am sometimes jealous of those with a detailed plan of how their life should go. I just kind of took opportunities that came along. I never thought that I would wind up being an assistant professor of surgery at UNLV. I would not necessarily change anything. It might have just been less stressful at times if I knew exactly what I wanted to do and how to get there.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Take care of yourself and your health. You can’t help others if you are not healthy enough to help.
Tell us about a time in your life that you were daring.
One of the coolest things I have done is to fly on NASA’s microgravity plane, affectionately known as the Vomit Comet. I was part of a team that designed a way for satellite fuel to be more efficiently used in microgravity, a nearly weightless condition. No, I didn’t get nauseous.
What is the worst advice you’ve ever received?
I think a lot of people try to get you to chase things that don’t really make you happy. I could have had a lot more money in the bank and not be driving a 2002 Honda Accord if I had just stayed being a chemical engineer. However, I have never found anything as rewarding as practicing medicine and surgery.
What’s the last TV show you couldn’t stop watching?
I am currently watching a series called Schitt’s Creek. I enjoy satirical comedy when I’m not working. What I do professionally is pretty serious. I like the contrast.
Why did you stay in Las Vegas to practice medicine after your residency training?
First, I met my wife during residency. Second, I knew that I would continue to receive great mentoring at UNLV as a young surgeon as I did during my residency. Finally, I have become loyal to UNLV and want to do everything I can to help the UNLV School of Medicine grow and be successful.
