Tom Berard
Ophthalmologist, Stanford University Medical Center

What is your job? Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology/Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery at UCSF-Stanford Health Care, Stanford University Medical Center.

Why did you pick this career? I tried to figure out what makes me tick, what makes me happy. I learned (and continue to) that I like variety, that I like doing things well and occasionally perfectly. Ophthalmology and Plastic Surgery around peoples' eyes requires a degree of perfectionism. I also however like being challenged by intellectual puzzles that require training plus ingenuity plus experience, more like I experienced in Internal Medicine. Ophthalmology, for me combines the best of the diagnostic (What's really going on here?) and the therapeutic (Oh boy, I get to fix it!).

What my workday is like? See patients and perform Eye and Eye Plastic Surgery in a variety of office and hospital environments. Act as educator and advocate for my patients. Teach Ophthalmologists-in-Training (Residents) at Stanford. Work as a self-employed independent contractor in Medicine as well as Information Technology consulting (Dual Life: Two Careers). Week consists of traveling to several different medical workplaces for medical and surgical work. Other half consists of business endeavors, networking and ongoing education in twenty-first century developments in technology, health care and telecommunications. Also, maintain a strong interest in investing and the stock markets.

Most exciting thing about your job? Variety. The many interesting and exciting people I meet. Freedom. The opportunity to continue to educate myself and rekindle my excitement for learning and new possibilities. This
speaks to the entrepreneur in me.

Projects (or research) I'm working on: Software and Healthcare

How do I keep current with new developments in my field:

• Doing my job and having a framework/discipline to better myself by following up on wherever the threads lead me.
• By taming my ego/being humble. Being open to wisdom when and from wherever it comes.
• By doing my best and gaining the respect of the very best in my patients and colleagues, and, in turn, being able to call on them for help and education.
• By living and thinking "outside the box". By doing something scary every day. By spending time immersed in areas completely outside my core expertise and "comfort zone."

Who am I? Ophthalmologist/Ophthalmic Plastic Surgeon; Entrepreneur. Loves Sports, Dancing, Music, Travel, The Arts. Feels lucky to be alive in the most amazing time in history.

What do you do in your job? (typical day) See patients and perform Eye and Eye Plastic Surgery in a variety of office and hospital environments. Act as educator and advocate for my patients. Teach Ophthalmologists-in-Training (Residents) at Stanford.

How did you get here? special training, degrees? I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Medicine at The Pennsylvania State University, subsequently obtaining my M.D. Degree after completing Medical School at Penn State. Having decided that I would become a Cardiologist, I completed two years of Residency training in Internal Medicine at Penn State. Then,
after changing my mind about my career path in Medicine toward becoming an Ophthalmologist, I completed a Residency in Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. During that time I became interested in the subspecialty of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, (Surgery of the Eyelids, Eye Socket/Orbit and the Tear Duct system). I completed my Fellowship (Subspecialty) training in Oculoplastic Surgery at Stanford and Harvard Medical Schools. I've been on the teaching faculty at Stanford since that time.

Claim to Fame? Have used most of my nine lives
Favorite Band/Music: Cuban/Puerto Rican Live Salsa; Afro-Brazilian; Samba; Chris Isaak
Favorite Food: Healthy and Lots of It!! (I love the bad stuff too but I try to be good.)
Favorite Movie:I've narrowed this down to thousands: Here they are:.....
Favorite Book: That's tough - Variety. I generally love biographies/autobiographies of great leaders and artists (Truman, Lincoln, Van Gogh, Churchill, Einstein, Feynman, Michaelangelo, etc.), pivotal times in history. Historical novels, Wallace Stegner. Eastern thought and spiritual practice.