TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | m a r c h 2 0 1 7 26 HOW TMC EMPLOYEES SPEND THEIR SPARE TIME ON T H E SI DE B y S h a n l e y C h i e n NA M E : Claudius Conrad, M.D., Ph.D. OCCU PAT ION: Oncological surgeon at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center I N T ER EST: Piano W hen Claudius Conrad, M.D., Ph.D. operates on a patient, his fingers tease and coax the tissue with precision and grace. To the outside world, the oncological surgeon is per- forming advanced laparoscopic surgeries for patients with complex diseases of the liver and pancreas. But to Conrad, a classically-trained pianist who calls himself a "musical surgeon and a surgical musician," every appearance in the operating theater is a chance to make art, to perform a magnum opus. "I didn't choose surgery," said the German-born doctor. "Surgery chose me. In my mind, the similarities between being a pianist and being a surgeon are so strong. Sometimes I cannot even distinguish them. A concert performance and a challenging case in the oper- ating theater—it's almost the same in my mind." Conrad grew up outside of Munich in an academic family. His father was a nephrologist and veterinarian, and his mother was a biomechanical engineer. Although neither of his parents were musically trained, they kept a grand piano in their home. By the time Conrad was 5 years old, his body and soul were drawn to the instrument. "I always wanted to touch it and play with it, but my parents were like, 'No, you'll mess it up!'" Conrad said. "When I finally was allowed to play, it was almost like a relief." He pursued his passion for piano, training at prestigious music schools across Europe and competing at numerous piano competitions as a solo and accompanying pianist. He qualified for a high level of a national music competition, but at that time he was fulfilling his military duty as a sniper for the German special forces mountain corps, training in the Arctic Circle. "I asked my commander, 'Can I please return to Germany with the support plane to fly back to compete?'" Conrad recalled. "The commander said, 'Are you kidding? Yeah, you're drafted. You're in the military. This is your job now. Forget about that.'" Although Conrad didn't get to compete then, he still con- sidered a career as a full-time professional pianist. However, a piano professor encouraged him to explore his other pas- sions before making a decision. "I always liked helping people, so I started to study medicine and music at the same time," Conrad said. "I thought I would decide by studying, but I couldn't, so I just continued studying both until I graduated." His chronic indecision led him to earn his first Ph.D. in stem cell biology and a second Ph.D. in music philosophy from the University of Munich. Today, Conrad's love for music and passion for surgery are inextricably entwined. He uses the same techniques whether he's performing a complex surgical procedure on a patient in the operating theater or performing Frédéric Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, in front of thou- sands of spectators. "When you have a challeng- ing situation in the operating room where you have bleeding

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