TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 5 WILLIAM A. PHILLIPS, M.D. As a surgeon, William Phillips is extremely dexterous with his hands. It's a skill that comes in handy when he ties knots for sutures and bow ties. Long ties posed a problem for Phillips early in his career. During his residency, he was working an emergency room shift when a patient arrived with a broken hip she sustained during a vio- lent fit induced by alcohol withdrawal. "She became mad and combative and grabbed my necktie," Phillips said. "I began to choke." After that, he wore nothing but bow ties. "My wife buys shoes," Phillips said. "I buy bow ties." William A. Phillips, M.D., is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Texas Children's Hospital. PETER J. HOTEZ, M.D., PH.D. Peter Hotez's fondness for bow ties has earned him the nickname "Bono with a bow tie," a sobriquet the doctor has done nothing to disavow. Hotez made the conversion from neckties to bow ties in the early 1990s, when he became a new faculty member at Yale University. Neckties were quite wide then, so he started wearing bow ties to augment his stature. "I'm 5'3" and when I wore a necktie, all you saw was tie," Hotez explained. He ventured into the Owl Shop, an old tobacco store next to the university, and asked the proprietor to teach him how to tie a bow tie. When he ties his bow ties, Hotez aims for imperfection. A rakishly-tied bow tie proves that it's not a clip-on and that he tied it himself. "I can actually do it without a mirror now," Hotez said. Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., is dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute. STANLEY H. APPEL, M.D. Decades ago, people used to dress a little more formally than they do now. Early on, Stanley Appel's uniform consisted of a button-down shirt and a long tie. It was a sharp look, but during a human anatomy course as a first-year medical student, he quickly learned it wasn't the best choice of neck wear. "I leaned over the cadaver and it soaked up all the chemicals and liquids," Appel said. "I've not worn long ties since then." Today, Appel's signature look is a colorful bow tie paired with his beloved cowboy boots. When he moved to Houston, he started wearing cowboy boots because they provided his flat feet with support. Stanley H. Appel, M.D., is the Peggy & Gary Edwards Distinguished Endowed Chair of the Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology and director of the Neurological Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital. B y S h a n l e y C h i e n PUT A ON IT Thanks to a new wave of geek chic, bow ties are mainstays in the modern man's wardrobe. A bow tie is a statement piece that exudes whimsy while still maintaining professionalism and gravitas. That delicate balance is what compels many Texas Medical Center employees to forgo the traditional tie and join the party of ardent bow tie aficionados. An added benefit: bow ties prevent occupational hazards. BOW DARYL ISHAQ SHORTER, M.D. Daryl Shorter made the transition from the tra- ditional long tie to the bow tie seven years ago. "I've always appreciated bow ties, but never thought I had sartorial license to go there until recently … when I decided to be more daring from a fashion standpoint," Shorter said. Once bow ties came back into fashion, Shorter took the plunge and never looked back. "It started out with just one bow tie—a multi-colored black, silver, pink and gold striped bow tie," he said. "It's loud and funky, but I really love that tie. Once I figured out how to tie it, I was hooked." As a researcher, Shorter doesn't wear a bow tie every day. But when he does, he prefers to complete the look. "If you're going to bring the bow tie," he said, "then accompanying it with the appropri- ate pocket square is critical." Daryl Ishaq Shorter, M.D., is an assistant professor of psychiatry research at Baylor College of Medicine.

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