Dr. Todd Cartee '95
Q: What challenges have you faced working during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: I am a Mohs surgeon. Mohs surgery is a specialized form of skin cancer surgery. Most skin cancers grow slowly, so about 90% of my care has been deemed non-urgent. I spent a great deal of time in March and April calling patients and informing them their surgeries had to be delayed. Most were understanding. Some, however, were very frustrated. I still treat high-risk skin cancer, such as melanomas, but my clinical volume has been significantly reduced. The cancers that I do treat now are usually very large and challenging.
Q: How has your work changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: I used to always greet my patients with a smile and handshake. That has been the hardest part of this. Our smiles are hidden behind a mask, and physical contact, which is so important in establishing the doctor-patient relationship is forbidden. I have gotten used to it, but in the first couple weeks, I would reflexively stick out a hand upon meeting a patient only to remember the new rules and pull it back quickly. We also wear much more intensive personal protective equipment (PPE). When I do surgery now, I wear an N95 mask, full face shield, gloves, and goggles. The patient is entirely draped except a small window where the surgical site is. I can’t tell you how hot and difficult to breathe the mask and shields are, and sometimes procedures take multiple hours.
Q: What successes have you celebrated during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: My younger daughter turned ten on Monday. She had several zoom parties with friends and family. She made a cake. She got Rita’s shaved ice at one in the next town over which had a drive-through. Some friends drove by and sang Happy Birthday from their cars. At the end of the day, she was suddenly forlorn and said, “I don’t want to go to bed and have my birthday end!” That warmed my heart. Even amidst this chaos and uncertainty, we were able to find some happiness.
Q: What has been your proudest moment working in healthcare?
A: In 2015, we started a Mohs fellowship program, and I graduated my first fellow in 2016. Being able to give back and shape the minds of the next generation of cutaneous oncologists has been the most rewarding aspect of my career.
Q: How did your experience at Springs shape your career choice?
A: I had several fantastic teachers and mentors who challenged me and encouraged me to become the best version of myself. They nurtured my love of science and the scientific method and fostered my intellectual curiosity. That curiosity has led me to become an academic dermatologist with multiple ongoing research projects to help improve our care of skin cancer. I hate to single out any teacher as I had so many wonderful mentors at Springs, but I will say that I often think of (and channel) Dr. Cooper when preparing a lecture for the med students or derm residents.
Back
A: I am a Mohs surgeon. Mohs surgery is a specialized form of skin cancer surgery. Most skin cancers grow slowly, so about 90% of my care has been deemed non-urgent. I spent a great deal of time in March and April calling patients and informing them their surgeries had to be delayed. Most were understanding. Some, however, were very frustrated. I still treat high-risk skin cancer, such as melanomas, but my clinical volume has been significantly reduced. The cancers that I do treat now are usually very large and challenging.
Q: How has your work changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: I used to always greet my patients with a smile and handshake. That has been the hardest part of this. Our smiles are hidden behind a mask, and physical contact, which is so important in establishing the doctor-patient relationship is forbidden. I have gotten used to it, but in the first couple weeks, I would reflexively stick out a hand upon meeting a patient only to remember the new rules and pull it back quickly. We also wear much more intensive personal protective equipment (PPE). When I do surgery now, I wear an N95 mask, full face shield, gloves, and goggles. The patient is entirely draped except a small window where the surgical site is. I can’t tell you how hot and difficult to breathe the mask and shields are, and sometimes procedures take multiple hours.
Q: What successes have you celebrated during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: My younger daughter turned ten on Monday. She had several zoom parties with friends and family. She made a cake. She got Rita’s shaved ice at one in the next town over which had a drive-through. Some friends drove by and sang Happy Birthday from their cars. At the end of the day, she was suddenly forlorn and said, “I don’t want to go to bed and have my birthday end!” That warmed my heart. Even amidst this chaos and uncertainty, we were able to find some happiness.
Q: What has been your proudest moment working in healthcare?
A: In 2015, we started a Mohs fellowship program, and I graduated my first fellow in 2016. Being able to give back and shape the minds of the next generation of cutaneous oncologists has been the most rewarding aspect of my career.
Q: When and how did you decide to pursue a career in healthcare?
A: In college, I thought I wanted to be an engineer and then a research chemist. However, while I loved science and the pursuit of knowledge, I realized I wouldn’t be happy whiling away my days in a dark lab. Although tempted to pursue a Ph.D. through my junior year in college, I decided I would only be satisfied working in a capacity enabling direct influence on other lives, enabling the kind of personal, intimate interaction that can and should be embodied in the doctor-patient relationship. Medicine is the ideal arena for a compassionate scientist.
A: In college, I thought I wanted to be an engineer and then a research chemist. However, while I loved science and the pursuit of knowledge, I realized I wouldn’t be happy whiling away my days in a dark lab. Although tempted to pursue a Ph.D. through my junior year in college, I decided I would only be satisfied working in a capacity enabling direct influence on other lives, enabling the kind of personal, intimate interaction that can and should be embodied in the doctor-patient relationship. Medicine is the ideal arena for a compassionate scientist.
Q: How did your experience at Springs shape your career choice?
A: I had several fantastic teachers and mentors who challenged me and encouraged me to become the best version of myself. They nurtured my love of science and the scientific method and fostered my intellectual curiosity. That curiosity has led me to become an academic dermatologist with multiple ongoing research projects to help improve our care of skin cancer. I hate to single out any teacher as I had so many wonderful mentors at Springs, but I will say that I often think of (and channel) Dr. Cooper when preparing a lecture for the med students or derm residents.
Q: What advice would you give Springs students who want to pursue a career in healthcare?
A: Medicine remains a wonderful career path. An opportunity to help people, to indulge your curiosity and creativity, and to involve yourself in a lifetime of learning. Now more than ever, during this pandemic, we also realize the courage and dedication of our front line health care workers. I admire them. But I would recommend not pigeonholing yourself in college too early. Study a broad range of subjects. Immerse yourself in art, history, language. Volunteer. Travel. Modern medical schools love well-rounded candidates who have a lot of different experiences to share. Don’t go to University with blinders on, but keep an open mind. Your passions may evolve and change. You never know what direction they may take you, but rest assured Springs has provided you with an excellent foundation to build on.
A: Medicine remains a wonderful career path. An opportunity to help people, to indulge your curiosity and creativity, and to involve yourself in a lifetime of learning. Now more than ever, during this pandemic, we also realize the courage and dedication of our front line health care workers. I admire them. But I would recommend not pigeonholing yourself in college too early. Study a broad range of subjects. Immerse yourself in art, history, language. Volunteer. Travel. Modern medical schools love well-rounded candidates who have a lot of different experiences to share. Don’t go to University with blinders on, but keep an open mind. Your passions may evolve and change. You never know what direction they may take you, but rest assured Springs has provided you with an excellent foundation to build on.
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Phone: 205.988.3350
Indian Springs School, an independent school recognized nationally as a leader in boarding and day education for grades 8-12, serves a talented and diverse student body and offers admission to qualified students regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Located in Indian Springs, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, the school does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.
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© 2023 Indian Springs School. All Rights Reserved.