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Sady Dorris
Mr. Farr
SEP Interview
10 October 2014

Orthopedic Surgeon

1. How familiar are you with the use of stem cells in the medical field?
a. Familiar in the sense of reading some of the research that has been done, particularly
related to orthopedics and diabetes.

2. Do you believe this will be the medicine of the future?

a. Absolutely, but it will not be for at least 20 years or so, and Europe will likely be way
ahead of the U.S.

3. If given the opportunity, would you consider working in this field?

a. I personally find research and lab work to be a bit slow for my taste, however I do
anticipate recommending patients for clinical trials and then at some point in my career I
will be involved in administering stem cell treatment once treatments have moved beyond
trials.

4. How many years do you think it will take for stem cell therapy to become a common treatment
in medicine?
a. It will be several years (>15), mostly because at this point there is no long term data on
stem cells. The big questions is what is the potential malignancy of these cells. For
example, when trying to grow an organ from stem cells, a significant amount of growth
hormone is used. Will this cause the cells to eventually become malignant?

5. In orthopedic surgery, are there possible procedures that stem cells could aid in?
a. Fracture healing, spine and ankle fusions, tendon repairs, possibly repairing articular
cartilage defects.

6. Are you comfortable discussing your views on the large controversy over the use of stem
cells? Embryonic stem cells in particular. If so, where do you stand on this position?
a. I personally have no moral objection to embryonic stem cells. I would consider myself
socially liberal, but conservative on most other issues. I would say my opinion is similar
to the younger crowd of the medical field, however I think that opinion would differ
greatly from some of the more " seasoned" medical staff. I think there is a lot of benefit
to using the stem cells, and ultimately may mean less invasive procedures for patients,
and being able to get a handle on chronic conditions instead of resorting to life long
medications (for example diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis).

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7. If you had to make an estimate, how much of the overall medical field is for and against the
use of embryonic stem calls?
a. I would say the majority is in favor of the research. I would say the higher level of
education and the greater the science background the more in favor of embryonic stem
cells.

8. Regarding funding and feasible laboratories, do you think stem cell research is receiving
proper government aid?
a. No, in fact very little of the research is government funded. Most is privately funded.
There is certainly concern with increasing government involvement/control of healthcare
that stem cell research will be hindered.
9. On a typical day, what do you do?
a. Clinic: Evaluate new patients, follow up with existing patients in clinic, interpret xrays, diagnose problems, make treatment plans, prescribe medications, joint injections,
wound care, splinting/casting. Follow up with patients over the phone, discuss mutual
patients with other physicians, refer patients to other specialists. Direct nurses, medical
assistants. Coding and billing for treatment.
b. Hospital: consult on orthopedic problems at request of other doctors, help perform
surgeries, lots of suturing, ensure the operating room is on track, plan with drug/implant
reps for special needs for cases. Follow up with surgical patients by tracking labwork,
assessing, ordering blood transfusions, orders for nurses, lots of pain medication
prescribing.

10. How many patients do you see each day?

a. 15-25

11. How many hours do you work in a typical day/week?

a. 50 hours in a normal week, 60+ during a call week.

12. How much time do you have for philanthropy?

a. Not much, since almost 25% of our patients don't pay their bill its practically
philanthropy, but I do go to Ecuador once a year for a week to do pro bono surgeries.

13. What percentage of your time is spent doing what?

a. 50% of my time is paperwork, phone calls, coordinating with other staff, 30%
operating room, 20% seeing patients in clinic.

14. How do you balance work and family responsibilities?

a. Fortunately, my husband does surgery so we have an understanding and acceptance
that we may go several days without spending time together. I do not have kids, but if I
did, my only option would be a full time nanny. Day cares aren't very flexible with late
nights and extended hours. Its very important to take "true vacations" to re-charge,

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preferably in a foreign country where you can't be reached by cell phone. Every time I
take vacation in the states, I inevitably have to answer work calls and emails. I find
having a good relationship with the nurses keeps them from calling me at all hours of the
night.

15. What personal attributes or characteristics are important to being successful in the medical
field?
a. Being extremely organized, meticulous, flexible, good at improvising, being a creative
thinker, empathetic.

16. What part of your career do you find most satisfying?

a. Seeing a patient accomplish a goal or an improved state of health after treatment.

17.What about your career do you find most challenging?

a. Doing everything I can for a patient, and then that patient not following instructions, or
complaining, and particularly not being invested or involved in their health.

18. Is there anything you dislike about your job? If so, what?
a. The red tape from insurance companies and government, there is increasingly more
input from these entities. I find there is less and less treatment options I am able to offer
patients. Its very frustrating to tell a patient "there is nothing else available for you".

19. What is the greatest event you have experienced in the medical field?
a. Everything that has been eventful to me always happens at night shift. One night I had
a ruptured AAA flown in to my hospital in the middle of the night. I was all by myself as
charge nurse in the operating room and had 5 min of warning. He needed emergency
surgery and I was in the middle of another case. I also had an infant code on me during
surgery in the middle of the night. We tried various medications but couldn't come up
with any answers. I suggested we pull his ET tube as it might have become obstructed,
and sure enough it was. We put in a new tube and the infant bounced back. It was a great
feeling.

20. What special advice would you give a person entering this field?
a. Spend as much time as you can in the field before you decide which avenue to pursue.
Think about what would make you happy doing every day for the next 40-50 years. There
is no substitute for hands on experience, so try to spend as much time and practice as
many procedures as you can while you are in training and have someone to guide
you. Look for opportunities to go outside of Arizona for training. Tucson is way behind
much of the country in medical procedures and treatments. Take some business classes in
college, medicine is very much a business and there is not much attention regarding that
in medical training.