Big wave surfing and performing spine surgery are the two great passions of Drew Brown IV – he craves the mental discipline they both require.
“It is high stakes with high rewards and you need the same serenity and calm in the arts of surfing and surgery,” says Brown, who moved his practice to Florida Orthopaedic Specialists at St. Lucie Medical Center last year after spending the past 10 years in Hawaii. “It (surfing in Hawaii) is a hierarchical sport. There is a pecking order. You wait your turn. Surfing is dangerous and you learn what it takes to be accepted as part of the crew.”
While he is a peaceful guy, Brown, at 6 feet, 4 inches and 230 pounds, is certainly a big man looming in any surf lineup. He played basketball for the University of Texas for two years.
“In medicine, it is a lifelong journey,” Brown says. “It also has a hierarchy. You gain experience and you move up. Just as the ocean is extremely humbling, so is medicine. You think you have conquered one aspect and two obstacles arise. The ocean shows you how little you know. The human body and the ocean never stop.”
DOCTORS OF INTEREST (updated since article)
Name: Dr. Drew J. Brown IV
Age: 39
Family: Girlfriend
Education: B.S. Biology, University of Texas, Austin; Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston; orthopaedic, surgical internship, research fellowship and orthopaedic residency, University of Hawaii, Honolulu; Spine Fellowship, San Diego Center For Spinal Disorders, La Jolla, CA, Laser Spine Institute, Tampa, FL
Occupation: Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon
Hobbies: Surfing, scuba diving, herpetology/entomology, basketball, weight training, cooking, spin and yoga
What I like most about practicing medicine: “I really love that medicine affords me the possibility and opportunity to create positive change in someone else’s life through a collaborative effort.”
What most people don’t know about me: “Most people don’t know how much I really like cartoons. Most of my iTunes collection are Disney, DreamWorks and Pixar movies that I watch most nights before falling asleep.”