Completing the circle: a legacy of father-son physicians at EVMS

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 15:34:00 EDT

By Kimberly Carr

With deep-rooted connections spanning generations, Frank Morgan, MD (Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency '82), an Obstetrician and Gynecologist and EVMS Community Faculty Instructor, and his son Patrick Morgan, MD (MD '15), Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology, share intertwined paths which reflect a commitment to medicine and the values instilled within the corridors of Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Their story reveals a strong and growing familial bond through anecdotes of mentorship, joint surgeries and professional admiration. The father and son offer insights into the unique dynamics of practicing medicine within the same family lineage, embodying a legacy of compassion and excellence.

Dr. Frank Morgan, you’ve been part of the EVMS community since the beginning of the school. How did you first come to EVMS?

Frank Morgan, MD:

Well, I went to Medical College of Georgia, and for about 10 years, there was always at least one student who went to EVMS for their residency. I had wanted to come back to Virginia where I grew up. Mason C. Andrews, Founding Chair of EVMS, also encouraged me to come to EVMS in its early years. I started as an intern in 1978. And then you get sand in your shoes, as they say, and I stayed. I went into private practice in Obstetrics and Gynecology here in 1982.

Patrick Morgan, MD:

I wanted to come to EVMS for the reasons that he mentioned in terms of the school itself, the opportunities that it provided and being closer to home. That for me was a nice addition to the actual medical training itself. I knew I wanted to be a doctor early and throughout college had a lot of connections at EVMS. I grew up down the road from Don Combs, PhD, Vice President and Dean of the School of Health Professions. His family was part of my childhood. I knew a lot of the faculty just from growing up in Norfolk. They already felt like an extended family up here.

How did you each become interested in medicine?

Patrick Morgan, MD:

Watching my dad is what got me interested in becoming a doctor. Seeing him as I was growing up – showing me some cool X-rays, going with him into the call room – those were definitely things that stuck in my head. My mom is an emergency room nurse, and she was definitely happy to see me follow a dream and see it come to fruition. She was absolutely supportive.

My personal experience as a patient is what actually introduced me to the field of Otolaryngology. While I was an undergrad at Clemson University, I spent time with the Head and Neck team at the Medical University of South Carolina and that experience, without a doubt helped me become a patient and launched me on a course that helped me end up at EVMS. I was born with a laryngeal cleft, so that's what exposed me to the field of ENT earlier than most people are. I actually trained with the surgeon there who operated on me. It’s all come full circle now that I’m back at EVMS on faculty.  Barry Strasnick, MD, was the Department Chair when I was a student. I remember sitting in his office getting letters of recommendation. And now he's still my boss, but my role has changed.

Frank Morgan, MD:

My parents grew up on farms in Southside Virginia, and I grew up in the state. My dad had a cousin who went to med school as a doctor, but I didn't really have much exposure to him. Our neighbor was a family doctor in Maryland and had seven kids with some around my age. So, I spent a lot of time in their house. My mom encouraged me to be a doctor so that I could work for myself, and I loved and did well in science. Obstetrics and Gynecology is a happy specialty, most of the time – being there helping people when they’re having a child – it’s very happy. I did my OB rotation in Georgia, and it was exciting to be in the delivery room – this was back when no visitors were allowed – and then to see the happy families meet babies for the first time. I've enjoyed it the whole time. Matter of fact, I probably enjoy too much because I'm still doing obstetrics after 42 years!

How did you encourage your son when he started pursuing a medical education?

Frank Morgan, MD:

When Patrick spent the summer as an undergrad shadowing an EVMS alum, John McFadden, MD (MD ’83), we had a discussion just before he got in med school. He said, ‘I just love dealing with patients and communicating with them and I love the culture of the operating room and this is what I want to do – some type of surgery.’ It was the first time I had seen his desire for that. He’s done very well. I mean, I’m impressed. I really admire someone who has that expertise to look through a microscope in ENT oncology surgery.

Have you ever worked together? 

Patrick Morgan, MD:

We had the opportunity to work together when I was a third-year med student at EVMS, when I actually scrubbed a surgery with my father. And that was probably one of the coolest things. I know he enjoyed that as well.

Frank Morgan, MD:

There’s no doubt about it. It’s just cool. I’ve talked with my colleagues about scrubbing in with your kid. It's just kind of a nice experience – like going full circle.

Patrick Morgan, MD:

For me, it was weird seeing him in that light. Because I've always known him as the corny old man. And seeing him in that setting to where he flips the switch – obviously where I am now, it makes more sense, and I understand it more. That was probably the first time I looked at him in a different way – from a professional standpoint.

What is it like being colleagues at EVMS?

Patrick Morgan, MD:

Every day at work, I either see somebody whose kid my father delivered, or a CRNA who has worked with him and they tell me stories. One way or the other, it always comes full circle. Just this past Monday, he came over to our house to see his granddaughter and grandson. We were both on call that day and we got pages at the same time, in our own respective specialties. My wife was like, ‘What is happening right now?!’ because we're both on the phone with two different hospitals. It's just cool. It's definitely something that I appreciate and admire more as I get older.

Frank Morgan, MD:

What is kind of nice is, I'll have the nurse anesthetist or anesthesiologist say, ‘Hey, I worked with your son yesterday! He is really good, he's really nice.’ I have a couple of patients that ended up on his schedule tell me ‘He was so nice.’ It's great to hear compliments like that from other professional people. It makes me feel good.

Patrick Morgan, MD:

One of the coolest things about being here is how the family and community aspect of EVMS definitely helped shape my future, from ways that I wouldn't have appreciated back when I was a kid. Almost all of the people throughout my journey, who have helped to get me to where I am, have some connection to EVMS.

Do you see a future in medicine for the next generation of your family?

Patrick Morgan, MD:

Our oldest is turning two this month. He has a stethoscope and keeps going around listening to everybody’s heart. It’s so funny on one end but we’ll see what happens, for he also knows I work a lot. 

Frank Morgan, MD:

I think Patrick’s gonna be like me. You just want to spend as much time with your kids and let them do what they want to do. And if it turns out it's medicine, then that's great. If it's something else, you support them however they go.

Do you have any advice for other father-son doctors?

Frank Morgan, MD:

I will say this when you're dealing with your children – when they're going to college, you have a certain type of communication with them. And when Patrick went to med school and residency, it's like our communication changed. We were able to really talk about medicine and share each other's experiences. It's just a different level of communication when you share a profession with your child. I did not really push Patrick to go into medicine. I exposed him to it. When he decided he wanted to go, I said, ‘I think it's great. Don't do it for me, don't do it for the money. But you do it because it's what you really want to do. And I support you 100%.’