We have some really interesting physicians as members of iMedExchange, and since those of you that aren't members don't get to hear from them, we'll continue to profile some of them in our blog. Today I'd like to introduce you to Deborah Benzil, MD. Dr. Benzil is a Neurosurgeon in Westchester.
How did you get into Neurosurgery? I stumbled into neurosurgery more than anything else. In medical school, my neurology rotation was "over-subscribed" so they asked for volunteers to do neurosurgery instead. I volunteered thinking it would just be three weeks and I would never get a chance to see neurosurgery again...well that was 25 years ago and I am still doing it every day!
What do you do with your time off? My time off is devoted to my family (I have a college freshman and a high school senior), reading, travel, cooking/wine and hiking. Every weekend my husband, dog and I take some lovely 3-10 mile hike in the Hudson Valley. In the summer, I also have an extensive vegetable and flower garden that requires a bit of time.
Which would you say is your favorite hobby? Favorite hobby...hum, hard to choose between music, reading, travel, wine...Probably travel because it allows for a whole lot of things and also means that I am on vacation! When we travel (always as a family until my daughter left for college) we look to enhance our cooking/wine stuff, and when we return, we keep the travel experience alive by recreating the food, etc.
Sounds great! Where have you traveled? England, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Spain, France, Peru, Greece, Morocco, Italy, Belgium, Japan, Bolivia, Portugal, India.
Wow, do you have a favorite you would like to return to? I almost never go back to the same place twice...I am not a "return to Club Med in X every year" type of traveler. But we have a trip planned to France and Spain in the coming year! Mostly, I love finding new exciting places. Some of the places where would I most like to go next include Viet Nam, Turkey, Sicily, South Africa, and Australia/New Zealand...but walking in the Alps, the Himalayas and similar places is also very appealing.
When you're home, what do you like most about living in New York? I love NYC!!! I love that I can live on 32 acres, at the end of a small road just 30 miles from the vibrancy of NYC. Probably my favorite thing about the city is the diversity-I shop in Greek grocers in Queens, Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, Middle Eastern stores on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn, Russian shops on Coney Island...etc. Most often we find small ethnic restaurants (where else can you eat Moroccan, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Thai, etc all in one city?) but can also enjoy that very special meal at Daniel or Per Se. I love to wander the little neighborhoods - SoHo, TriBeCa, Little India, Murray Hill, etc etc--I just walk around and wander into the shops and galleries. I love the live theater and try to get to a good number of shows every year. Hopefully as life gets quieter (ie kids at college) I can spend more time exploring the galleries and museums. I go now but less than I would like.
Are there any issues you are particularly devoted to? I have been very focused on the presidential election-volunteering on many levels. By the time you publish this...hopefully the election will have been decided in a way I find satisfactory (yes I am an Obama supporter!). Beyond that, greening of hospitals and health care has become a passion of mine. In part, it occurred to me as an excellent business opportunity and I am working on building a consulting company that can advise hospitals on green issues (soup to nuts). I was working on a plan to update a local hospital and when looking at important trends that should drive hospitals, environmental issues seem the absolute most important.
Why so? Hospitals account for much illness unfortunately - asthma rates in urban areas are highest around hospitals, there are obviously high infection rates for patients in hospitals for extended stays, there are mental health issues with hospital personnel who work in less than optimal environments, just to name a few. Also, hospitals account for 10% of all energy expenditures in the country - just think what an incremental change in this could do for the entire country's energy profile! Waste is another big issue. Medical waste is not only extremely expensive but is a huge part of the solid waste problem in the country. I could go on forever on this issue. My company is available - no takers for the project yet but...I am hoping any day now!
