E180 - Andrea Merrill on Writing, Creativity, and Pursuing your Passions as a Surgeon

Andrea Merrill is a surgical oncologist in Charlottesville, Virginia. She is the creator of Scrubbed Out, a website dedicated to highlighting the talents and passions of surgeons and trainees outside of the operating room. As listeners will know, Chad and I have been obsessed with exploring how to be the best surgeons we can be without losing our humanity in the process. Dr. Merrill had some really important insights on how we might walk the line between being completely immersed in surgery, but also staying grounded. We also talked about several of her superb pieces of writing, including “Free Solo” and “Taylor Swift in the Operating Room”. We’d love to hear from you – what hobbies or side hustles do you have? How do you balance them with a life in surgery? Email us at [email protected].

Links:

1. https://www.scrubbedoutsurgeon.com/
2. Merrill AL. Free Solo Surgery. Ann Surg. 2022 Aug 1;276(2):e77-e78. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005499. Epub 2022 Jul 6. PMID: 36036994.
3. https://kevinmd.com/2024/02/taylor-swift-in-the-operating-room-the-surgeon-who-found-strength-in-song.html
4. https://kevinmd.com/2015/06/why-are-women-so-underrepresented-in-surgery-leadership.html