TMC PULSE

T M C » P U L S E | N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8 13 Augusta, Georgia; did a fellowship in general surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and then became a gen- eral surgeon in the U.S. Army. Upon retiring from the army last year, Choi began working as a bariatric surgeon at CHI St. Luke's in the Woodlands. He uses many of the skills he learned in the military in the operating room. "The best thing that I learned in the service was time management and teamwork," Choi said. "What you see out there and everything that happens in the military, it doesn't happen with one person by themselves. It requires a lot of effort, teamwork, cooperation and attention to detail. That also relates to medicine. Especially in my field as a surgeon, it is very important to make sure you don't deviate from how you do things and you do the same thing over and over and have a really keen attention to detail. I see the OR as just a big team operat- ing—there's anesthesia personnel, circulating nurse, scrub nurse and you all have to be on the same page and no one person is more import- ant than anyone else. Everyone is just as integral to the team." ROBERT ATHEY > McGovern Medical School student; retired sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps Robert Athey, a first-year student at The University of Texas Health A twinkling promenade of flavor and fun, music, friends and family! # 1 MASTER-PLANNED COMMUNITY IN HOUSTON * *Ranked by RCLCO Top-Selling Master-Planned Communities: Mid-Year 2018 20+ Model Homes $250s – Million+ $20 from each ticket will go to A Shelter for Cancer Families. ASCF provides free tangible support in the Texas Medical Center to families aected by cancer based on their needs, regardless of age, cancer type, treatment status or income. Learn more at cancerfamilies.org. Thursday, November 15 • 5-9pm TICKETS ON SALE NOW! $65 • Must be 21+ SiennaPlantation.com/SipandStroll 8 59 90 6 288 610 FORT BEND PARKWAY Science Center at Houston's McGovern Medical School, decided to become a doctor while serv- ing in the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan. "I ended up deploying to Afghanistan in 2012," Athey said. "The unit I was in was more medical related stuff—almost like what an EMT does." During his deployment, Athey provided care for U.S. soldiers, Afghan soldiers and civilians. "The whole local population there didn't really have access to care other than the Marines. We were the ones they would come to for pain medication if someone was hurt or sick," he said. "There were mixed emotions because sometimes you were providing care to people who actually wanted to do harm to you because that is how the Geneva Convention works. But you put yourself aside in that moment and try to alleviate symptoms the best you can." After five years in the Marine Corps, Athey returned home and attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, before being accepted to McGovern Medical School. "I look back at my years in high school and I wasn't well disciplined and I couldn't apply myself to school very well," Athey said. "In the Marine Corps, I went in as an intel- ligence analyst—it is a very school- intensive job and they retaught a lot of study skills I needed. I ended up growing in maturity in the military and it has helped me achieve my goals—for example, getting into medical school."

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