A surgeon’s life is defined by long hours, exacting focus, and countless critical decisions that impact the lives of others. They go through years of training to develop a stamina that can sustain the deepest, complex pressures. But just like the rest of us, they rely on small rituals and routines to keep their days steady, mind sharp, and energy plugging along.
In Routine Procedures, we’re taking a closer look at the daily habits—from breakfast choices to favorite shoes—that shape our surgeons’ work and life.
5:30 a.m. alarm. Never snooze. Banana, yogurt, and classic rock when the residents are done DJing.
Christine H. Rohde, MD, MPH
Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery
Chief of Microvascular Services
What time does your alarm go off in the morning?
Too early. Usually 5:30.
Snooze or no snooze?
Never snooze.
Breakfast of choice (especially before a big day)?
Always a banana and a yogurt.
First thing you do when you get to work:
Check my email.
Do you have any pre-op rituals or routines?
Not really. Not really.
Is there music in your OR?
Yes, always.
Who picks the playlists?
I always let the resident pick. It’s the resident’s job to pick music.
I can always veto, but I rarely veto. After a certain amount of the resident’s music, we will probably change it to classic rock if it’s not that already.
Favorite shoes for long days standing in the OR:
Danskos.
Favorite part of your day:
Being in the OR.
What’s always in your lab coat pocket or bag?
Lip balm and a hair tie.
Any non-medical habit that helps you stay focused?
Running long distances. It takes focus to do that, and having that physical activity helps me stand in one place for a long time when I’m not doing it.
I don’t run every day because I don’t have time. It’s a little better this time of year, but in the winter when it’s so dark, I leave in the dark and I come home in the dark. I have a treadmill, but I hate the treadmill.
Most underrated part of your job:
Teaching residents and students. I think people don’t realize how much of my day is involved in teaching.
When you finally get home, what’s the first thing you do?
Sit down. Take my shoes off and sit down.
If one of your patients saw you outside the hospital, they’d be surprised to see you…
Running in the road. Actually, some patients have seen me. I have some patients who live not far away, and they were like, “I almost hit you with my car.”
Well, thankfully you didn’t hit me with your car.
More routines:
James Lee, MD
Chief of Endocrine Surgery
Abe Krikhely, MD
Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Bariatric Surgery
Roshni Rao, MD
Chief of Breast Surgery
John Chabot, MD
Chief of GI/Endocrine Surgery
Executive Director of the Pancreas Center
Jason Hawksworth, MD
Surgical Director, Adult Liver Transplantation
Chief of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Division of Abdominal Organ Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery
Emile A. Bacha, MD
Chair, Department of Surgery
Surgeon-in-Chief, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center
Virendra I. Patel, MD, MPH
Chief of Vascular Surgery
Co-Director of Aortic Center