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20 T M C ยป P U L S E | J U N E 2 0 1 8 David Goldfarb, M.D., and father, Richard Goldfarb, M.D. R ichard Goldfarb, M.D., will always remember one of the first surgeries he performed with his son, David Goldfarb, M.D. The urologists regularly perform a procedure in which Richard, 65, removes a patient's bladder, and David, 36, builds an artificial one. "The first time we did that, David called me and said 'I'm finished. Do you want to come take a look at it?'" Richard recalled. "I told him, 'I have total confidence in you. There's no reason for me to come and look.' That was very exciting for both of us." The father and son, who practice together at Houston Metro Urology in the Texas Medical Center, said their working relationship is success- ful because of that mutual respect. David has followed a career path strikingly similar to that of his father: Both attended Baylor College of Medicine and became urologists. They work together in the same office of the same prac- tice, and both teach at Baylor College of Medicine and Houston Methodist Hospital. But father and son say David chose his path on his own. "To me, doctoring is a special thing," Richard said. "It's not something you can encourage a child to do. It has to be in his heart." But once David chose to become a doctor, his father helped with training and served as a mentor during his residency. "As cool as it is for anyone to do a big surgery and take out a kidney, and you're holding it in your hands after it's out ... it's even cooler to look up and see your dad smil- ing at you," David said. David said he chose to enter urology, like his father, because the specialty allows doctors to For some TMC employees, medicine is a family affair LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON David Goldfarb, M.D., and his father, Richard Goldfarb, M.D.