Juan Ibla, MD, associate in Cardiac Anesthesia, was finishing up medical school in Colombia at the top of his class when he was awarded an opportunity to do an externship in the United States through an exchange program.
He chose Harvard Medical School (HMS) and in 1990, packed his bags and headed for Boston. "I didn't know it was going to be this cold, but I knew it was a prestigious school," he jokes. Ibla loves playing tennis and he approaches the sport the same way he does medicine: with patience and endurance. So it was a good fit that he decided to specialize in anesthesia, which requires the same kind of careful, steady approach. He became a full time Children's staff member in 2001, and continues to do pulmonary research at the hospital today. "I love clinical work, and having a chance to simultaneously do research is unbelievable," he says.
While technology and resources in the United States are certainly more widespread than they are in Colombia, Ibla is happy to have had training in both countries. "My training taught me that you don't necessarily need a lot of technology to provide good patient care, especially regarding your bedside manner and the physical exam," he says. Resources like catheters and suture materials are limited, and in some areas of the country, Ibla couldn't use technology that most American medical students depend on. "I worked without X-rays, CT scans and MRIs," he says. "You need to learn to rely on other methods for diagnosis. I think that gives me a valuable perspective that most students wish they had."
In his practice, Ibla uses his first language, Spanish, with his patients when necessary, but he speaks English with his wife and 8-year-old son at home, where he likes to spend as much time as he can (cooking up plates of paella for them is a favorite pastime). A family man at heart, Ibla uses his own experiences balancing long hours with family time to relate to his HMS students. "I consider having a family my biggest success," he says. "It's very difficult to have a family that allows you to balance your work and research and they are very understanding. For that, I am very lucky." |
