Dr. Ross Milner stands out in the realm of vascular surgery, particularly in his expertise with complex aortic diseases. His credentials speak for themselves: a leading role in numerous endovascular device trials, co-national principal investigator for the Global Registry for Endovascular Aortic Treatment (GREAT), and a research fellowship at the University Medical Center of Utrecht. Currently, he's the Chief of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy and a Professor of Surgery at UChicago Medicine. His teaching prowess has been acknowledged through various awards, and he holds the title of the first master clinician of the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence. He also serves on the editorial boards of several major scientific journals and frequently addresses national and international conferences on vascular surgery and aortic aneurysms.
Shortly after you completed your residency/fellowship training, was there a therapy area or subject matter you wish you were taught or had more experience in?
During my training, I focused on arterial work. However, when I began practicing, the majority of referrals I received were for venous disease and dialysis access. I had to learn those areas quickly.
Many residents and fellows leave training with a sense that they aren’t fully ready for clinical practice. Do you remember a time when you felt like you weren’t ready for “prime time”? How did you overcome this?
I feel very fortunate to have trained at an institution that prepared me exceedingly well for the challenges of clinical practice. And I had excellent partners who offered their advice as I was starting out.
Considering you’re well-published and have extensive experience in medical research, how would you recommend a fellow get involved with clinical trials and/or establish collaborative research with other specialists?
I would suggest focusing on a specific area of interest. If you want to be involved in clinical trials, the first goal should be to become a site Principal Investigator. Doing a good job enrolling patients and managing your trials can get you noticed in the research community.
When it comes to treating calcific plaque, what’s your go-to algorithm?
I typically use intravascular lithotripsy (IVL).
When thinking about the business of healthcare, what are 2-3 concepts that you wish you knew coming out of fellowship?
I wish I had a deeper understanding of relative value units (RVU) and compensation models when I was entering practice.
Dr. Ross Milner stands out in the realm of vascular surgery, particularly in his expertise with complex aortic diseases. His credentials speak for themselves: a leading role in numerous endovascular device trials, co-national principal investigator for the Global Registry for Endovascular Aortic Treatment (GREAT), and a research fellowship at the University Medical Center of Utrecht. Currently, he's the Chief of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy and a Professor of Surgery at UChicago Medicine. His teaching prowess has been acknowledged through various awards, and he holds the title of the first master clinician of the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence. He also serves on the editorial boards of several major scientific journals and frequently addresses national and international conferences on vascular surgery and aortic aneurysms.
Shortly after you completed your residency/fellowship training, was there a therapy area or subject matter you wish you were taught or had more experience in?
During my training, I focused on arterial work. However, when I began practicing, the majority of referrals I received were for venous disease and dialysis access. I had to learn those areas quickly.
Many residents and fellows leave training with a sense that they aren’t fully ready for clinical practice. Do you remember a time when you felt like you weren’t ready for “prime time”? How did you overcome this?
I feel very fortunate to have trained at an institution that prepared me exceedingly well for the challenges of clinical practice. And I had excellent partners who offered their advice as I was starting out.
Considering you’re well-published and have extensive experience in medical research, how would you recommend a fellow get involved with clinical trials and/or establish collaborative research with other specialists?
I would suggest focusing on a specific area of interest. If you want to be involved in clinical trials, the first goal should be to become a site Principal Investigator. Doing a good job enrolling patients and managing your trials can get you noticed in the research community.
When it comes to treating calcific plaque, what’s your go-to algorithm?
I typically use intravascular lithotripsy (IVL).
When thinking about the business of healthcare, what are 2-3 concepts that you wish you knew coming out of fellowship?
I wish I had a deeper understanding of relative value units (RVU) and compensation models when I was entering practice.
Dr. Ross Milner stands out in the realm of vascular surgery, particularly in his expertise with complex aortic diseases. His credentials speak for themselves: a leading role in numerous endovascular device trials, co-national principal investigator for the Global Registry for Endovascular Aortic Treatment (GREAT), and a research fellowship at the University Medical Center of Utrecht. Currently, he's the Chief of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy and a Professor of Surgery at UChicago Medicine. His teaching prowess has been acknowledged through various awards, and he holds the title of the first master clinician of the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence. He also serves on the editorial boards of several major scientific journals and frequently addresses national and international conferences on vascular surgery and aortic aneurysms.
Shortly after you completed your residency/fellowship training, was there a therapy area or subject matter you wish you were taught or had more experience in?
During my training, I focused on arterial work. However, when I began practicing, the majority of referrals I received were for venous disease and dialysis access. I had to learn those areas quickly.
Many residents and fellows leave training with a sense that they aren’t fully ready for clinical practice. Do you remember a time when you felt like you weren’t ready for “prime time”? How did you overcome this?
I feel very fortunate to have trained at an institution that prepared me exceedingly well for the challenges of clinical practice. And I had excellent partners who offered their advice as I was starting out.
Considering you’re well-published and have extensive experience in medical research, how would you recommend a fellow get involved with clinical trials and/or establish collaborative research with other specialists?
I would suggest focusing on a specific area of interest. If you want to be involved in clinical trials, the first goal should be to become a site Principal Investigator. Doing a good job enrolling patients and managing your trials can get you noticed in the research community.
When it comes to treating calcific plaque, what’s your go-to algorithm?
I typically use intravascular lithotripsy (IVL).
When thinking about the business of healthcare, what are 2-3 concepts that you wish you knew coming out of fellowship?
I wish I had a deeper understanding of relative value units (RVU) and compensation models when I was entering practice.
Fun, Insightful Interviews with the
World's Brightest Physicians
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Fun, Insightful Interviews with the
World's Brightest Physicians
Delivered straight to your inbox. Completely free. No spam.
Fun, Insightful Interviews with the
World's Brightest Physicians
Delivered straight to your inbox. Completely free. No spam.
You have friends and colleagues across multiple healthcare disciplines and specialties. For a young clinician, how important is networking? Are there 2-3 tips that you can pass along on how to network better or effectively?
Attend both regional and national meetings, present your work by submitting abstracts to relevant conferences, and leverage your relationships with more experienced colleagues for introductions.
You speak on podium at many conferences and do a fair amount of physician training. What are some of the important skill sets needed to be an effective leader in these types of initiatives?
Being a confident speaker and understanding your audience’s needs and interests.
So-called “turf wars” are inevitable in almost any workplace setting, including healthcare. How do you approach this challenge and what’s your advice for graduating residents and fellows?
I am very fortunate to work in an institution that highly values and expects collaboration. I try to avoid places that have a reputation for turf wars. I believe they compromise effective and safe outcomes for patients.
When operating, if you had to choose 3 songs to play on repeat, what would they be?
I prefer to operate without music.
How about movies – what are your top 3 favorites of all time?
I love movies. Selecting 3 is a challenge, but here they are:
Shawshank Redemption
Field of Dreams
Rocky (the original one)
If you could go back to your late 20s or early 30s, what would you tell your younger self from a professional standpoint?
Be patient about assuming leadership roles. Your time will come. Also, never miss an important family event.
You have friends and colleagues across multiple healthcare disciplines and specialties. For a young clinician, how important is networking? Are there 2-3 tips that you can pass along on how to network better or effectively?
Attend both regional and national meetings, present your work by submitting abstracts to relevant conferences, and leverage your relationships with more experienced colleagues for introductions.
You speak on podium at many conferences and do a fair amount of physician training. What are some of the important skill sets needed to be an effective leader in these types of initiatives?
Being a confident speaker and understanding your audience’s needs and interests.
So-called “turf wars” are inevitable in almost any workplace setting, including healthcare. How do you approach this challenge and what’s your advice for graduating residents and fellows?
I am very fortunate to work in an institution that highly values and expects collaboration. I try to avoid places that have a reputation for turf wars. I believe they compromise effective and safe outcomes for patients.
When operating, if you had to choose 3 songs to play on repeat, what would they be?
I prefer to operate without music.
How about movies – what are your top 3 favorites of all time?
I love movies. Selecting 3 is a challenge, but here they are:
Shawshank Redemption
Field of Dreams
Rocky (the original one)
If you could go back to your late 20s or early 30s, what would you tell your younger self from a professional standpoint?
Be patient about assuming leadership roles. Your time will come. Also, never miss an important family event.
You have friends and colleagues across multiple healthcare disciplines and specialties. For a young clinician, how important is networking? Are there 2-3 tips that you can pass along on how to network better or effectively?
Attend both regional and national meetings, present your work by submitting abstracts to relevant conferences, and leverage your relationships with more experienced colleagues for introductions.
You speak on podium at many conferences and do a fair amount of physician training. What are some of the important skill sets needed to be an effective leader in these types of initiatives?
Being a confident speaker and understanding your audience’s needs and interests.
So-called “turf wars” are inevitable in almost any workplace setting, including healthcare. How do you approach this challenge and what’s your advice for graduating residents and fellows?
I am very fortunate to work in an institution that highly values and expects collaboration. I try to avoid places that have a reputation for turf wars. I believe they compromise effective and safe outcomes for patients.
When operating, if you had to choose 3 songs to play on repeat, what would they be?
I prefer to operate without music.
How about movies – what are your top 3 favorites of all time?
I love movies. Selecting 3 is a challenge, but here they are:
Shawshank Redemption
Field of Dreams
Rocky (the original one)
If you could go back to your late 20s or early 30s, what would you tell your younger self from a professional standpoint?
Be patient about assuming leadership roles. Your time will come. Also, never miss an important family event.
