Twists and Turns on the Road to Becoming a Physician-Scientist

Abstract

In retrospect, it was a plain and simple case of sibling rivalry. My brother Robert (Bob) is three and a half years older than me, but he was a full seven years ahead of me in school. So as not to even try to compete, I took a different path. While Bob attained honors everywhere he turned, I barely finished high school, and when I did it was without an academic diploma. While Bob was in medical school at age 19, I finished high school and, at age 17, decided to join the US Coast Guard with my high school buddies. While Bob was the exemplary academic, I was the social butterfly. While Bob was the serious one, I had few cares growing up except for when and where the next party would take place.