My clients are often surprised to find out that I was a ballet dancer for many years, traveling the US, Europe, and the Caribbean. They're curious about my transition from dancing to "doctoring" as well. What I often say is that I knew I wanted to be a physician when I was six years old, but that the opportunity to travel the world as a young adult was irresistible. And so I did.

When that career began to wind down, I refocused my energies on my first love—medicine. Once admitted to Columbia University in New York for medical school, I found that the discipline I had garnered from 17 years of dancing made the rigorous study necessary almost pale in comparison. I graduated as a member of the National Honor Society and received the Franklin C. McClean Award, presented to the top minority medical student in the nation.

The other aspect of dancing that transitioned well to medicine was its artistic nature. I'm sure that's one reason I initially felt drawn to Plastic Surgery as a specialty.

I worked as a plastic surgeon for over 22 years and loved almost every moment. I've performed surgery on the faces and bodies of thousands of people, helping them achieve their outward, aesthetic goals. It was just as exhilarating my last day in the operating room as it was my first, many years ago.