KCUMBmagazine - Kansas City University of Medicine and ...

Climbing the Ladderto successRenee Volny, D.O. (COM ’06)“I’ve always had a little flair for doing things that areartistic ... I took several sculpting classes in my earlycareer and I always knew I wanted to be a surgeon.”A. Daniel Toland, D.O. (COM ’80)Why Practice Cosmetic Surgery?In the film Doc Hollywood, Michael J. Fox plays anewly minted plastic surgeon on his way to Hollywoodfrom the East Coast, when he is forced to spend time practicinggeneral medicine in a small southern town. Once hefinally reaches Los Angeles to take up a career in a prestigiouscosmetic surgery clinic, he finds he so misses thelittle town, its people and his work there that he goes back.The idea, of course, is that catering to the vanity ofthe rich and famous by giving them liposuction and tummytucks is not as fulfilling as treating tummy aches anddelivering babies. However, the reality is somewhat different,at least in the view of some plastic surgeons.Dr. Edween, who in her Beverly Hills practice hastreated her share of people with both money and celebrityand who has herself played a role in a television realityshow, sees her work as an artistic endeavor.“I do believe it’s the perfect marriage of science andart,” she said. “There’s a certain skill involved in beinga surgeon, but if you have an artistic eye, it just makesyou a better surgeon over all because the results are whatspeak the loudest.”it is important that Dr. Edween get satisfaction fromdoing the art rather than receiving public acclaim for it.“I’ve made my name with people looking natural,”she said. “That’s what I stand behind. If it doesn’t lookgreat, I’m not going to put my name on that.”For Dr. Edween, “looking great” means that herwork is barely, if at all, noticeable. In a sense, hers is theart of the invisible.Dr. Toland also thinks having an artistic sense ishelpful.“I’ve always had a little flair for doing things that areartistic,” Dr. Toland said. “I’ve always liked art, and I tookseveral sculpting classes in my early career. I’ve alwaysbeen kind of a hands-on person, and I always knew Iwanted to be a surgeon.”On the other hand, he does not want the first questionasked of one of his patients to be, “You look different.Who is your plastic surgeon?”it is not that he wants to shut off word-of-mouth endorsements.He would prefer that his handiwork bringremarks like, “Wow! You look terrific. Have you beenworking out?”That’s when he knows he has truly succeeded intransforming someone.FEEDBACK: Send comments on this article to editor@kcumb.edu.Renee Volny, D.O. (COM ’06), has always known she wanted tochoose a career path that would allow her to help others. Infact, that’s what drew her to attend KCUMB in the first place.“My choice to go to KCUMB was very deliberate,” she said.“KCUMB really stuck out to me. The urban location of the school reallyappealed to me. A school’s location speaks volumes. KCUMB valuesits surrounding community. For me, it was important to be in a placewhere I could help the underserved population.”During her time at KCUMB, Dr. Volny gravitated toward thestudent clubs and organizations that focused on serving the neighborhoodsurrounding the University. She teamed with others to provideback-to-school checkups and sports physicals for area children, andreadily volunteered for other worthy endeavors in the community.“KCUMB creates an environment that fosters a sense of community,”Dr. Volny said.She carried that sense of service throughout her residency in obstetricsand gynecology and into a fellowship in health policy leadershipat the prestigious Satcher Health Leadership Institute at MorehouseSchool of Medicine in Atlanta. During her fellowship experience, Dr.Volny participated in the International Healthcare Volunteers (IHCV)program and traveled on medical mission trips to Ghana, Africa, whereshe and a team of volunteers focused on providing health care for women.Following completion of the fellowship, Dr. Volny took a position ata critical access hospital in Idaho. She persuaded the hospital to donatean old mammography machine to IHCV, so that it could be deliveredto Ghana.ten months later, David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., former surgeongeneral, asked Dr. Volny to return to the institute that bears his nameto act as interim associate director.“Dr. Satcher knew my interest in global health, and that is the focusof the institute,” she said. “I just want to continue on this trajectory ofhelping others.”Do you know of a KCUMB graduate who is accomplishing great things?Let us know his or her story by emailing editor@kcumb.edu.14 WINTER 2012 WINTER 2012 15