Chapter 02: Chemistry and an Early Mentor Lead to a Focus on Medicine
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Description
Dr. Podoloff begins this segment by explaining that he started out in public school, but then shifted to private school. He notes his interest in chemistry, describing the shelf full of chemicals he had in his room. He also talks about the family’s physician, Dr. Lucen, who treated his asthma and inspired his interest in medicine. He explains why, after beginning his undergraduate education at the University of Rochester, he transferred to New York University. He talks briefly about his style of thinking.
Identifier
PodoloffD_01_20150402_C02
Publication Date
4-2-2015
City
Houston, Texas
Interview Session
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD, Oral History Interview, April 02, 2015
Topics Covered
The Interview Subject's Story - Educational Path; Personal Background; Influences from People and Life Experiences
Transcript
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Okay. Oh wow. Okay. Wow, that's really a formative time for that kind of thing too. Interesting. What about your interests in elementary school? How did your interest in the sciences evolve?
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
Through chemistry. I started to play with a chemistry set when I was a kid. They had -- I don't even remember the names of them now, but I remember I had a shelf full of chemicals in my room.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Huh.
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
And I had a mentor, although I didn't realize he was a mentor, he was my family physician. And I had asthma when I was a kid. So I spent a lot of time with Dr. [Arthur] Lucen.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Dr. Lucen?
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
That was his name. Yes. He was an ob-byn but h was also a general practitioner. And I think that’s where I got my interest in science. I was always pretty good in the sciences, too, in school. English and the arts and stuff? Not so much. I took probably until I was in late high school to get me interested in opera and things of that sort.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
So tell me about Dr. Lucen. How did he mentor and inspire you?
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
I just was very attached to him, probably because every time I saw him I was sick and by the time he left I was better. [Laughter] He used to give me intravenous diluted epinephrine for my bronchospasm. And I got interested in medicine because of that. So I took a pre-med course, you know, a curriculum for pre-med. At the University of Rochester. And then I went to - I finished at NYU, New York's, uh, [inaudible] university. And the reason for that transition was that my dad heart attack between my [pause] freshman and sophomore years in college. Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD .019 This is very odd. Let me just check this recorder. I, uh, it's, I think it's making new files. I want to make sure it's doing the right thing here.
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
.978 Sure.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
All right. My apologies for interrupting you.
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
Not a problem.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
OK. So you were talking about how the change came—took place there.
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
Right. My father had a heart attack. So I thought it would probably be best if I could save some money. And living at home could accomplish that.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Oh, OK.
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
So I switched schools. I graduated from New York University in 1959 with a degree—an honors degree in chemistry. Bachelor of Arts with honors in chemistry.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Now when during this educational path did you decide you were going to become a doctor? I mean when you took premed were you set on that as a career?
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
Yeah, pretty much. My family tells me that they thought I was going to be a doctor from the time I was five years old. That’s all I ever talked about.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Oh, really?
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
But I don’t remember that.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Huh, that’s interesting. Let me ask too. I mean I had a real interesting conversation with Jim Cox. This is a question I often ask. It’s about visual thinking. And I mean obviously in a field like yours you’re very visually attuned. And so I’m wondering when did you know about that part of yourself and that that was a strength that you were going to use in your career.
Donald A. Podoloff, MD:
I would say that I wasn’t really very visual when I was in school.
Recommended Citation
Podoloff, Donald A. PhD and Rosolowski, Tacey A. PhD, "Chapter 02: Chemistry and an Early Mentor Lead to a Focus on Medicine" (2015). Interview Chapters. 730.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewchapters/730
Conditions Governing Access
Open
