Ethan Craig
Hometown: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Residency Match: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University, St. Louis
Specialty: Otolaryngology
Q: How did you choose your specialty?
A: Otolaryngology provided the blend of surgery and clinic that I was looking for while also presenting a variety of patient problems. I also felt the otolaryngology community was the best fit for me.
Q: What experiences outside the curriculum greatly enhanced your medical education?
A: There were so many! As philanthropy co-chair within the Bean Learning Community, I helped strengthen our relationship with Shelter House. I also served on Caduceus for four years and restructured the liaison committees for the pre-clinical courses; our work was published at the American Evaluation Association conference.
I had several opportunities to travel overseas. A rotation with the otolaryngology department in Oxford, England, introduced me to a different approach to health care— their socialized medical system. And a medical mission to Guatemala addressed a variety of otolaryngology problems, including cleft lip and palates. I was first assistant on a cleft case with the surgeon who had repaired my cleft lip/palate when I was an infant.
I also co-founded a startup company dedicated to skin cancer prevention. This connected us with dermatologists, oncologists, business experts, and hundreds of community members. On a different project, I compared attitudes toward the use of narcotic pain relievers for otolaryngology-related cases.
Q: Is there someone who was especially helpful in guiding and mentoring you?
A: Dr. Deborah Kacmarynski in the otolaryngology department served as a mentor, and
Dr. Francois Abboud (internal medicine-cardiovascular medicine) and his wife were tremendous supporters of my experience in Palestine. For 10 weeks, my fiancée and I worked in the only public pediatric cancer ward in the West Bank.
Q: What was the most rewarding part of your CCOM experience?
A: Learning my fiancée and I had a successful couples match to our first choice of programs.
Q: What advice would you give to incoming medical students?
A: Make time to read, seek out hands-on opportunities, and maintain relationships with friends and family.