[MUSIC PLAYING] TRACI HEDRICK: My name's Traci Hedrick, and I'm a colorectal surgeon here at UVA. How I got interested in medicine originally was-- I'd always planned on being an engineer. My father was an engineer, and I liked math and science. And so that was the plan. And then my grandfather got sick. Just in the course of college, decided that I wanted to be a physician. Originally I wanted to be a pediatrician and rotated on my surgery rotation, not expecting at all to like it, and just really clicked. And it was obvious that that was what I needed to do. 

I see a variety of patients. Some patients, we're treating something that affects their quality of life. So I try to really key in on what impact that is having on the patients. Other patients, such as those with inflammatory bowel disease, those with cancer, we know what surgery they need. Really a lot of the visit is about putting their concerns or anxiety, fears at bay, explaining to them exactly what's going to happen, getting them involved with the process, and making them feel as comfortable as they can. 

I also form a very close bond with the patients. And some patients I follow for years. I treat their family members. And so that's something that I really get a lot of enjoyment out of.