Interviewing a Neurologist: Marisa Sosinsky

Interviewing a Neurologist

1. Introduce yourself and your background:

• My name is Marisa Sosinsky. I am a neurologist. This is my 18th year in practice. I completed my medical school back in New York at Cornell and then I did my residency at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center New York followed by a fellowship in electrical studies that are done in neurology called electromyography. Then I moved to Arizona 18 years ago where I first started in private practice here and I practiced in a few different capacities. I was in a small neurology private practice for many years and then I was in a multi-specialty practice trying that out for a little bit. Most recently I’m with a large neurology practice as part of HonorHealth neurology.

2. Why did you decide to enter the medical field?

• Honestly I wanted to be a doctor practically from birth. There was never another field, never anything else I considered. In fact, I don’t know if you all do this in your yearbook, but we had something called ‘last will and testament’ which had people predict your future, and my last will and testament from everybody was that I was going to be a doctor who was going to also own a bagel store. I can’t tell you why when I was younger because it really goes that far back. Dating back to even middle school, I always loved science but I was very people-oriented, and I liked the idea of a career that would bridge my love of science but also be able to work closely with people versus say being a researcher or working in pharmacology or something of that nature. My stepdad was a pharmacist and I used to spend some time shadowing him a little bit at work. I had no doctors in my family, so we were a lot of lawyers but no doctors. I didn’t really have a blueprint to follow, it just always seemed innate to me.

3. Why did you choose neurology specifically?

• In college, I went to Cornell for undergrad as well. I was a neurobiology and behavior major. I applied as a biology major and then for our sophomore year you have to commit to a specialty within biology and I thought behavior sounded really interesting and it was so it was. I got the ability to take a lot of higher level classes, neurogenetics, really interesting stuff actually worked in biopsychology lab where I did my thesis on sexual discrimination because of various parts of the brain enhanced. I was primed from my college experience, but actually when I went into medical school, I thought I was going to be a surgeon; I was convinced I would be a surgeon and I thought a sub-specialty would allow me bridge being in the OR and doing surgeries but also have a long term relationship… . But when I actually spent time on my rotations, in your third year mostly you do a ton of different rotations and explore the different specialties you might be interested in, I found that the one thing that captivated me, I was never bored, was neurology. I changed my thinking and I ended up doing a sub-internship. In your fourth year you get to choose, maybe leave your own medical school and see what it’s like somewhere else, and I went across town from my medical school in Manhattan to Columbia just doing a sub-internship there and that probably sealed the deal because it was so interesting.

4. Would you be able to share a patient experience you had?

• After 20 years there is a lot of it. I can tell you something, I know you all are considering careers in medicine and medical school possibly, so I can tell you something that stands out. In 1998, so that tells you how long it is, and she I’m sure is long gone so it would be HIPPA compliant for me to tell you about Greta. Cornell was an interesting medical school in the upper east side of Manhattan… And you’re wondering how they’re going to be receptive to you as a student, you’re not even a resident, the lowest on the totem pole. I was in a general surgery part of a rotation and I got assigned to a woman named Freta. She had a really big surgery. A million hours of surgery, you lose a part of your pancreas . I was assigned to her and I remember spending a lot of time being very involved. I don’t remember seeing any family. I’d be there late in the day, some of it was medical care, not very pleasant for her, and some of it was just spending time with her. It was incredibly rewarding, she got better… Maybe 2 months later a letter showed up at my medical school dorm where she had written a letter. I kept that letter and I still have it on my desk. It's very human . A surgical complication that was very gross, a GI complication, just by being there with her I probably did more than the doctors. All those years later… That letter has traveled from my medical school dorm to my Manhattan dorm to my two houses in Arizona.

5. How has being a woman impacted you in the medical field?

• It’s been interesting, I’ve had several experiences. Where I trained, it can be considered an ‘all boys club.’ I got married during my second year of residency and I changed my name. That was a choice I made and I remember one of my attending males said to me at the time ‘why would you change your name, you’re just going to divorce anyways.’ Just totally inappropriate. I loved learning about surgeries… I can tell you every way to do a hernia repair but I actually wasn’t very good at it. I was having trouble cutting the sutures, and he said to me ‘wow you’re going to be a very bad housewife.’ But clearly that was not my objective. So that definitely was an experience. Sometimes I’ve had issues over the years where I feel patients talk to me in a way they wouldn’t with a male doctor. On the flip side, I feel like I have patients, especially women who seek me out because I am a doctor because women are seen as more compassionate. I can tell you even within my own practice have my care because they felt they would be heard more by a female doctor. As much as everybody tells you, you can have it hard. I have two kids, it’s been hard to balance that. I went into preterm labor with him and my practice made me pay them back a lot of money. Somebody handed me a bill of $65,000. Even now a lot of patients will call you ‘honey’ or ‘sweetheart.’ Rise in leadership positions you will see because there is a lot of data where women are overlooked for chairs because most of my career I’ve been my own boss or in a setting where I was an equal.

6. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to go into the medical field, especially with neurology in general?

• If you think about fields and the future of medicine, there is no field that has more potential for growth than neurology. The sheer number of people that they affect. The field is still very much in a growth phase and there’s a lot to be discovered. At least once a week, I will have a case that will just sit with you and you’ll think how could that possibly have happened. Anything that’s looking into medicine should be open-minded. Pay attention to what’s out there and you will spark an interest. I was on the straight and narrow path to premed. Went to college for med school. Straight through to my training, I think you have to really love medicine because the field has changed a lot. Make sure you are going into the field for the right reasons. In many aspects though, it has become a business. It can be frustrating, but if you feel like it’s your calling and you find the right practice for you, go for it. There is nothing like being a part of a patient’s life and making a difference. It’s an incredible privilege to be part of someone’s life. I would look at college as an opportunity to explore your knowledge. Take some time to volunteer in medical clinics. Get some hands-on experience.

Note: This has been edited slightly by the Medical Matriarchs team

Thank you for reading: CY, BC, PY