Dr. Deborah Berger
Medical Director
“I knew that I wanted to play a more integral part of improving access to health care and helping people become more knowledgeable about health care patients, physicians, everyone and make things fairer with overall fewer inequalities”
Watch the video below to learn what inspires Deborah
Read Deborah’s full profile below
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
There were so many favorite teachers, but there were two in particular that left a looming impact: my calculus teacher in high school, and my organic chemistry professor in college. Both of them challenged me to excel and helped me to find the motivation I needed to stay on course. I struggled in both of these classes and honestly didn’t believe I had the confidence or ability to pass either one. These two teachers instilled a gentle fear within me and pushed me beyond my own limits in a positive manner. The faith they had in me was all the drive I needed to succeed in their classes. These teachers were able to recognize my capabilities despite my struggle, and it was that influence that helped me to pass both of those courses.
What inspired you to pursue a career in STEM/Healthcare?
I knew from a very young age that the field of medicine was something I was going to pursue. My father is a physician, and I always felt that I wanted to emulate him. I’d follow my dad around the hospital while he rounded on patients, and would listen intently as he discussed medicine and caring for his patients; it all seemed incredibly exciting to me. I excelled in science in high school, and therefore felt a career in the field of medicine would be a good fit, but didn’t know the exact fit - nursing, physical therapy, a medical doctor. As I entered college, I took all the prerequisites to become a physician but listened intently as friends talked about pursuing other areas of healthcare. Through the encouragement of friends, family, and counselors, becoming a physician seemed to be the most logical career path. I became a physician, a radiologist to be exact, but realized as my studies continued to advance, that there was more I needed to explore outside of the practice of medicine. As you continue to read below, you’ll learn that my career in medicine was just a start and has blossomed into something much more expansive.
What were your moments of fear/challenges in your career?
My biggest fear was also my biggest challenge - making the decision to not practice medicine full time after going to medical school, completing my residency and a fellowship; this was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make during the expanse of my career. I didn’t apply to radiology jobs out of my fellowship like all of my friends and colleagues but instead used the time to research other possible career opportunities within the healthcare space. I had just spent the entirety of my young adult young life studying to become one thing and then watched all my friends with who I was either in medical school with or residency and fellowship, all begin their lives as physicians. In my heart and in my head, I knew there was more I wanted to accomplish beyond the practice of medicine, the question was how. I didn’t know what I was going to do at the time, so it was pretty scary to think that here I am after all these years of school and studying, and just now realizing this isn’t exactly what I wanted to do. I was confident in the fact that I wanted to play a more integral part in improving access to healthcare and helping people become more knowledgeable about healthcare, patients, physicians, everyone and make things fairer with overall fewer inequalities. Therefore, I found myself at this point in my life where I didn’t know what I was skilled to do other than practice medicine and didn’t know who could help me to figure this out. But I took a leap of faith to simply start networking which was not easy to do without LinkedIn and organizations like The Science Runway. It was all very scary, but I just knew that I wanted to find something else beyond being able to fix one patient every day and look for ways to more holistically improve our healthcare system. I endured, and have since then discovered a successful path.
What are some of the innovations in science that you are most excited about?
The beauty of exploring the business of healthcare is that I have been able to work in technology and data and analytics, and therefore blessed to have worked with various companies in different fields. It is through those various interactions with different types of companies like pharmaceutical companies and new emerging technologies that I have gotten to learn about many new and exciting innovations. I’ve had hands-on experience with technology that has the ability to help diabetic patients track, trend, and alert them to concerning data points in real-time. Information that is subsequently shared with physicians, alerting physicians, nurses, and call centers to emergent data points. Information that can be used to identify patients at risk through predictive analytics. All of this is incredibly exciting. In the space of radiology, images can now be sent immediately throughout a hospital, a healthcare system, and around the globe in just minutes allowing radiologists, wherever their location, to read urgent images and support physicians in more remote environments. Being in this evolutionary space of healthcare with endless possibilities to get information and data at the tip of practitioners’ fingertips is what excites me to my core.
What’s next for you?/What would you like to do when you “grow up’? (retire, etc.)/ what is something you hope to accomplish in the future?
That is a very good question to ask me given that my career has been a bit of a unicorn. I’m a physician, but I have also been a healthcare consultant, working within the applications of advanced analytics, business intelligence, and big data. Now I work within the field of payment integrity. I’ve gained a lot of ground over the years learning various parts of the healthcare system. An area of my career I have yet to spend more time in is the philanthropic side of healthcare. I have always been an avid volunteer, but there are so many incredible organizations doing work on a day-to-day devoted to improving healthcare inequalities, and inequities. Organizations working to improve access to healthcare for everyone; identifying people in the community that need our help more than others. I want to spend my time helping to identify people in need. Getting food and vaccines to people that desperately need it. Ensuring those people that need access to healthcare get it. My work of today and in the past has been wonderful and rewarding, but there is still a desire to do more. I know there is work I can be doing that truly touches my heart and feeds my passion to make our healthcare system less unjust.
Personal style/fashion tip?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned, instilled by my father at a very, very young age, is how you present yourself to the world is one of the most important things you can do. Getting a good education, having a drive, and ambition are all necessary traits and the foundation for success. But a lesson my dad drove home time and time again was to show up every day looking your best, to always look professional, and to always be well put together. I think the first impression you make should be your mind, and your intelligence, and what you have to say, but adding a smile and positive attitude to your wardrobe will go a really long way!
What is your unique talent?
Well, I wouldn’t call this such a unique talent, but I’m a true athlete at heart and I love sports. Ever since I was a kid I’ve made exercise a huge part of my life. I love exercising and being involved in sports for the physicality, but also for truly clearing my mental space. Exercising is not something I do to wake me up, but a time in my day to think, process, and really clear my head. You won’t find me jumping out of planes or climbing the sides of tall buildings, but I have always enjoyed the ski slopes, tennis courts, rock climbing, yoga, barre, and even inline skating to name a very few. I’ll do anything at least once!
Do you have a favorite sport out of all of this?
I love them all, but what I decide to do on a particular day will totally depend upon my mood and the weather. My normal weekly routine of exercises includes walking/running, biking, barre, yoga and any number of weight training classes. One of my most favorite things to do on vacation is to take day-long hikes and explore nature; pack a backpack with all the essentials and just disappear for a while.
