Donald R. Polakoff, MD and C.S Pitchumoni, M.D.
No one knows the doctor-nurse relationship better than orthopedic surgeon Donald R. Polakoff, M.D., recent winner of an "APPLE" award honoring that partnership-and no wonder.
Donald R. Polakoff, M.D.
No one knows the doctor-nurse relationship better than orthopedic surgeon Donald R. Polakoff, M.D., recent winner of an "APPLE" award honoring that partnership-and no wonder. His wife, Karen, is a registered nurse and medical practice consultant. The pair, Princeton residents, are the parents of Lauren, 27; Robby, 24; and Brandon, 19. Dr. Polakoff, 56, attended Cornell Medical School in New York and did a residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and a fellowship in hip and knee replacement at Harvard. A member of the Saint Peter’s medical staff since 1985, he’s pictured with his surgical team in their super-sterile garb.
Q: OK, we’ll bite. What does APPLE stand for?
"Acknowledging Physician Partners: A Liaison for Excellence." The award is given by the Institute for Nursing, a charitable affiliate of the New Jersey State Nurses Association. I have put in a lot of effort over the last 15 years working with the Saint Peter’s nursing staff. I hold weekly educational rounds with them. But I had no idea anyone realized what I was doing.
Q: Why is teamwork with the nurses so important to you?
My cases are mostly hip and knee replacements, and the results depend largely on the bedside care patients receive from nurses.
Q: Why did you specialize in hip and knee replacements?
Once I knew I wanted to be a surgeon, I looked for a specialty that had the most impact on quality of life. The results of orthopedic surgery are clear and positive.
Q: Many orthopedic surgeons are-or were-athletes. How about you?
Yes, in high school it was wrestling. In college at Cornell I played sprint football, which is varsity intercollegiate football, but with weight limits. In medical school I "survived" rugby. These days I golf, play tennis and work out.
C. S. Pitchumoni, M.D.
Born in India, C.S. Pitchumoni, M.D., is chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Clinical Nutrition. He came to the U.S. in 1967 to accept a residency and fellowship at Yale University, then took more gastroenterology training at New York Medical College. At that school he’s now an adjunct professor of medicine and of community and preventive medicine, and he’s also a clinical professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.
Dr. Pitchumoni joined the Saint Peter’s medical staff in 2002. He has published 170 papers and more than 200 abstracts and contributed 74 chapters in 40 textbooks, and he is now working on his third and fourth books. He and his wife, Prema, live in Somerset and have three grown children, Sheila, Shoba and Suresh (the last a gastroenterologist in Freehold), and three grandchildren.
Q: Why is writing important to you?
It helps me understand what’s happening in my fields. When I write, I acquire precise knowledge, because I have to read a great deal to summarize clearly and understandably.
Q: Who got you started in writing?
I owe everything I have accomplished to my teachers, in particular the late Dr. P.J. Gee Varghese in India and Dr. Martin H. Floch, who is now professor of medicine at Yale. Dr. Floch encouraged me to write when I came to this country. For the last 42 years he has been my mentor. Following in his footsteps, I try to be a good mentor to students, residents and fellows in gastroenterology. An old adage in Sanskrit says, "Knowledge is the greatest wealth-the more you give to others, the more you will possess."
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
I like to bicycle, read history and politics and spend time with my three granddaughters. We play like children-it takes me back.
Q: Do you plan to retire?
No. I want to work until my last day.
