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.
No Snooze, Night Coffee, and Going Home
Dina Podolsky, MD
Hernia Surgeon
What time does your alarm go off in the morning?
5:30 a.m.
Snooze or no snooze?
No snooze.
Breakfast of choice, especially before a big day?
Two hard-boiled eggs and a piece of toast.
First thing you do when you get to work?
See the patient.
Any pre-op rituals or routines?
Not really. I just need a cup of coffee to get the day started.
Is there music in your OR?
Unfortunately, no. I used to listen to a lot of music, but now I just kind of enjoy talking to the co-surgeon, to my fellow, or even silence.
Favorite shoes for long days in the OR?
Danskos.
Favorite part of your day?
Going home.
What's always in your lab coat pocket or bag?
A marking pen.
Any non-medical habit that helps you stay focused?
Playing tennis.
Most underrated part of your job?
Probably just helping people through difficult times.
When you finally get home, what's the first thing you do?
Take a shower, and then depending on whether I'm home early enough, it's the second cup of coffee. If I'm home late, hopefully some dinner.
If one of your patients saw you outside the hospital, what would they be surprised to see you doing?
Probably walking my dog.
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
Christine H. Rohde, MD, MPH
Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery
Chief of Microvascular Services
Vincent Pierre Duron, MD
Pediatric Surgeon
Thomas A. Imahiyerobo, MD
Director, Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery
Section Chief, Pediatric Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Francisco Guzman, MD
Bariatric Surgeon
Beth A. Schrope, MD, PhD, FACS
Director, Autologous Islet Cell Transplantation Program, Pancreas Center
Katherine Fischkoff, MD
Chief, Division of General Surgery
Executive Vice Chair for Operations, Department of Surgery
Lyall Gorenstein, MD
Director, Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery
Surgical Director, Columbia University Hyperhidrosis Center