DR. WHO( IN-TRAINING) Andrew Woods, DO
What is your hometown?
I have trouble pinpointing a specific place because I spent the first 13 years of my life just outside Nashville, Tennessee, then lived in the New Jersey suburbs near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until I started medical school back in Tennessee. So, I usually say that“ I say yes ma’ am and no sir because I’ m from the South, but I drive fast and talk fast because I’ m from the North.”
Where did you attend medical school?
I attended medical school at Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harrogate, Tennessee.
What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine?
My grandfather greatly influenced my decision to pursue medicine. I am the first doctor in my family, but he had negative experiences with doctors when he was younger, which led him to distrust the medical system and neglect his health. I believed that if I could become a doctor he would trust, it might prevent others from feeling the same way he did. After I was accepted into medical school, he said he would be my first patient. Although he didn’ t live long enough for that to happen, I like to think that all of my patients receive better care because I carry his memory with me.
What made you want to come to Louisville for residency?
My wife finished her veterinary internship at Metropolitan Veterinary
Emergency Services in Louisville while I was in medical school. We really enjoyed the city, so when it was time to apply for residency, I searched for a place with a diverse patient population that handled the most challenging rehab cases and allowed us to live comfortably in a lively city. The University of Louisville PM & R program met all our needs based on that criterion.
What made you choose PM & R?
I chose Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation because it fundamentally focuses on a person’ s potential, requiring us to look beyond an injury or diagnosis to what a patient can still do, become and enjoy. I love that PM & R is team-based, goal-oriented and highly creative. We get to combine neurology, musculoskeletal medicine, pain management, technology and psychology, then translate all of that into functional improvements that matter in people’ s daily lives.
What has surprised you the most / what has been the most unexpected challenge during training?
The most surprising aspect has been how emotionally complex rehabilitation can be for everyone involved, including the patients, their families and our rehab team. We’ re not just managing spasticity or mobility; we’ re often helping people rebuild their identity after a stroke, spinal cord injury or brain injury. The unexpected challenge has been learning to balance my desire to always make things perfect with the realities of time, system limitations and socioeconomic barriers. Learning not to let good be the enemy of great and maximizing the patients’ function
30 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE