Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/635316
t m c » p u l s e | j a n / f e b 2 0 1 6 8 TMC SPOTLIGHT Q | Tell us about your formative years. A | I was born in Baltimore and raised in the Houston area. My mother and father are both physicians in the Texas Medical Center, and I grew up with two brothers and a sister. My siblings and I graduated from William P. Clements High School, and, coincidentally, we all left Texas for college, we all played a varsity collegiate sport, and we've all been lucky enough to return to Houston. During that process, we've had the good fortune to be united with a wonderful stepmother, stepfather, five new sisters and a new brother. Q | Coming from two parents who were physicians, was that path determined for you? A | It was anything but predetermined. My interest in medicine actually grew from a variety of sports-related inju- ries and from time spent doing gene therapy research in college. However, there's no question that my parents were the primary reason that I was able to find a career that I love. No matter the task, they encouraged hard work and excellence. I can't imagine having more wonderful parents, and my gratitude to them for their guidance is endless. Q | When did you know that you wanted to go to medical school? A | I started thinking seriously about medicine when I was in college. I had my fair share of injuries as a football player, and the time I spent around doctor's offices made me realize how gratifying a medical career could be. I started volunteering in the emergency room at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia after the foot- ball season ended during my freshman year, and I made some great friends who were taking pre-med classes. It wasn't long before I felt like I had found my place in the world. ALEX SWEENEY, M.D., ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY–HEAD AND NECK SURGERY AT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, MET WITH WILLIAM F. McKEON, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF STRATEGY AND OPERATING OFFICER OF THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER, TO DISCUSS THE INCREDIBLE ADVANCES IN THE FIELD OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY OVER THE PAST 40 YEARS AND HOW SCIENCE HAS HELPED RESTORE HEARING FOR EVEN THOSE SUFFERING FROM TOTAL HEARING LOSS.