Match Day countdown: Robert Weir

Robert Weir

• Name: Robert Weir
• Hometown: Bristol, Tenn.

What events in your life have led you to medical school?

My path to medical school has not been a traditional one. After serving as an enlisted Marine, I chose to pursue medicine. I had shied away from it originally because my family had left some big footsteps to follow. My father was a prolific researcher and neurologist who trained under Norman Geschwind in Boston. My grandfather was a cardiovascular surgeon who served in the 10th Mountain Division of the Army in World War II and skied through a minefield in the mountains of Europe to save a woman and her child, earning him the Bronze Star for valor. Oh, and he performed his own vasectomy. Needless to say, those are tough acts to follow. When I was finally able to put that aside, however, I realized that I was drawn to medicine like a moth to light. There has been no looking back.

How will your experiences influence you as a doctor?
My experiences have broadened my horizons to a great extent, and one of the greatest boons has been the ability to empathize at a very high level, connecting with patients and relating to them when others may have failed. This type of interpersonal interaction and my demonstrated efficacy have led me to pursue a field where I believe these skills may be best utilized. I also greatly seek to leave the world a better place than I have found it. I believe that with the vast and unparalleled amount of information at our fingertips, having credible sources of information has become more difficult. Therefore, I feel strongly called toward public education and the dissemination of accurate information as a medical professional. Hopefully, this will lead to medical journalism and administrative roles in the future.

When you went on interviews for your residency, what is the most interesting thing you were asked or asked to do?
The most incredible and unexpected thing happened at Harvard Longwood. I was able to meet and interview with the famous Dr. David Silbersweig, chairman of the department of psychiatry at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, world-renowned neuroscience researcher, and known by many as one of the “Fathers of Neuropsychiatry.” I was starstruck. Unbelievably, our interview went so well that he asked me to sit on the American Neuropsychiatric Association Public Affairs Committee (which he also heads).