I continue to be inspired by my patients, starting during my time as a junior resident when I was looking after individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury. I remember a particular weekend when I looked after a Mennonite family from Southwestern Ontario, where the entire family had been involved in a severe road traffic accident and several of the children came in with bad injuries to the brain and spine. It was really that experience that solidified my desire to focus on neurotrauma and, in particular, spinal cord injury.

It is very important to stay focused. Perhaps early in my career I was trying to do too many things at the same time. One of the lessons I have learned is the importance of focusing on a smaller number of questions but to pursue them at a high level.

NASS is the leading national and international spine society and is the premier event for the dissemination of knowledge and networking. NASS has afforded me a number of opportunities to disseminate my research and to link with other groups as a member of the spinal cord injury committee. We've been able to foster numerous research projects, and this was further broadened a few years ago when I had the opportunity to lead the spinal cord injury subspecialty section. Many talented individuals came together and contributed to a focus issue that really defined the nature of the field. In addition, I’ve really enjoyed mentoring young emerging faculty and have taken advantage of opportunities at NASS—introducing young faculty in my program to various initiatives within the organization. On a personal note, receiving the Leon Wiltse and Henry Farfan Awards in recognition of the impact of my research work was a huge honor and a career highlight.

In general, when I meet colleagues most of the interactions that I have are at a professional level. However, once people get to know me there are a number of surprises. The people who interact with me at a clinical level are often very surprised at the passionate interest I have in basic translational science. Similarly, the basic scientists that I interact with are often surprised by my commitment to clinical practice.

Going outside of medicine, science and research, I think people are sometimes surprised to learn about my human side. First, I was actually an English as a Second Language (ESL) student throughout my schooling. Although I grew up in Toronto, I was in a German speaking family. I have a strong linkage to the German culture and have retained fluency in German as a language. People are surprised I am fluent in German and have that element of culture. Second, people may not always know that I have a deep appreciation for art. Whenever I travel to a new city, I always try to visit the art gallery to get an appreciation of the art and culture.

One of the reasons the social events at NASS are so important is that you get to know people beyond their professional persona. These events are a great opportunity for me to learn about colleagues, their families, and what drives them. You encounter some remarkable individuals, and it is always interesting to learn about others’ backgrounds.