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Family, Friends And Hobbies: Finding The Balance

By Alvaro Baik Cho, MD, PhD

My name is Alvaro Baik Cho and I’m from São Paulo, Brazil.

Outside my practice, I’m pretty much an average guy with family, friends and hobbies. I have been married for 13 years and I have a 10-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy. I am a man of faith and therefore I go to a Presbyterian church every Sunday and I also try to practice Christian principles in my life and relations. As any other husband, father or son, I have to deal with some everyday problems and struggles.

Sleeping and working take up almost 2/3 of my life. Combined with my wife and kids’ busy schedules, we probably have less than 3/4 of our day of quality family time. So, I’ve been trying to use my spare time more effectively, particularly by being more selective with my decisions on attending meetings and conferences.

I think hand surgeons in general have a lot of trouble completely disconnecting from work. I believe that it must be an inherent behavior for us as providers of our families. I’m always thinking about what I could have done better in my cases and at the same time making plans for future cases. I also work in 2 university hospitals. Consequently, I spend some energy and time preparing presentations and writing papers.

I’ve played tennis for almost 12 years and it’s one of my favorite hobbies. I also adore watching the matches very much. Guitar playing is another hobby that I’ve always enjoyed. So, recently, I have joined a new band formed by orthopedic surgeons. We play music from pop rock to heavy metal.

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