PHYSICIAN SPOTLIGHT: Luis J. Herrera, MD
Medical director, Rod Taylor Thoracic Care Center at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Orlando
The days following his arrival in Pittsburgh in 1997 aptly illustrate Luis Herrera’s creativity and ability to adapt to his surroundings.
One of the “biggest challenges” in his life “was my transition to surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh trauma program, said Herrera, who now is the medical director of the Rod Taylor Thoracic Care Center at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Orlando.
A native of Puerto Rico who had never been farther north than south Florida, Herrera had never seen snow. “I didn't understand how harsh cold weather could be,” he said. “I remember walking to the hospital one day when the snow began to fall. It was pretty unbelievable,” said Herrera, who was 25 years old at the time.
He found an apartment through a newspaper advertisement, not realizing his new home was was a 30-minute bus ride or 15-minute cab ride from the hospital. “The first bus was at 6 a.m. I took it and (arrived at the hospital) at 6:30 a.m. I was late and rounds had started,” he said. Realizing that was unacceptable, Herrera said he “started getting up at 3 a.m. and taking a cab to the hospital to be ready for rounds.”
But the $15 one-way cab ride was a drain on his finances. “Then I realized that if I was on call, I got a room to stay in the hospital,” he said. Since he already was staying late most days, “I just put myself on call a lot. It was tough,” Herrera said.
“I was the first Puerto Rican to be accepted there, and only the third Hispanic in a program with 50 years of history. … I felt a little like an outsider and there was some skepticism about how I would perform, but I must have made an impression because I matched in their (surgery) program,” Herrera said. “I had outstanding training and I was fortunate to excel in my residency.”
Excellence in the pursuit of undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan preceded his advanced training at the University of Pittsburgh, but his inspiration for medicine goes back to his childhood. Herrera's great uncle, Gillermo Herrera, was a general practitioner. Like his father, Luis A. Herrera, an aerial photographer, they were Cuban immigrants.
“My great uncle was very humble, and very well-respected in Cuba,” Herrera said. After he moved to Puerto Rico, he worked for the government, but he also had a clinic in his house. Herrera said he used to visit his Uncle Gillermo and that by the time he was 10 years old, “I knew that I would identify with medicine. … I was always intrigued by science and helping others. Medicine put all that together,” he said.
Herrera entered medical school thinking he would be a cardiologist, “but I fell in love with anatomy, so I decided early on to pursue surgery,” he said. “Cardiac surgery was then my goal, but I rotated as a student at the VA Hospital in Puerto Rico with Dr. David Rodriguez, who was 84 years old at the time and a superb general thoracic surgeon who did lung and esophageal surgery. … That was my career turning point,” Herrera said, adding that he has stayed in touch with the mentor who, now in his 90s, he respectfully and affectionately calls “Don Davido.” “We met for coffee in Puerto Rico last year,” Herrera said.
After his residency and an ensuing fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, Herrera accepted an offer at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center/Texas Heart Institute in Houston in 2004. Two years later he came to M.D. Anderson in Orlando to become a member of the thoracic oncology section.
“Having trained at M.D. Anderson in Houston, I really appreciate the team approach for patients” that is the model at M.D. Anderson Orlando, Herrera said. We have a very good camaraderie on the thoracic team, and I have good relationships with physicians outside M.D. Anderson, as well,” he said. “The environment here is very patient-focused and there is a very good infrastructure. And it is a good academic environment for fellows and residents,” he said.
When he's not caring for patients or immersed in a research project (he’s currently studying a way to target genes that contribute to the development of esophageal cancer), Herrera savors time with his family. He has been married to Jeanne for 12 years; they have two daughters, Victoria, 8, and Adriana, 3.
“I try to spend as much time as possible with family and friends,” Herrera said. They ride bikes together and go to the park. Victoria accompanies her dad on hospital rounds some days, and has expressed her desire to be either a pediatrician or a veterinarian. To that end, he is being pressured for a puppy, and he acknowledges that he is losing the battle to keep aquarium fish as the only family pets.
When they can, Herrera and Jeanne relax by preparing some of their favorite Latino foods, including his specialties, ropa vieja and flan.
Herrera manages to squeeze in a couple sets of tennis at least once a week, and “we love to travel, even it is a weekend trip in Florida,” he said.
“I really enjoy what I do. That is what is most satisfying about my career. It has been a clear path to follow. I'm lucky that I ended up here,” he said. “And to top it off, I can go home to a loving family.”
Digg
Facebook
Technorati
Newsvine
Google
