Brian Emerson '91

A pediatric anesthesiologist at the Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Brian Emerson, M.D., enjoys working in the operating room as a member of a team of highly trained specialists. “My major goals during surgery are to keep a child safe and comfortable, and to allow the surgeon to focus on whatever the issue may be,” he says.

The most rewarding part of the job, however, happens when his young patients are awake and he can interact with them and their families. Unlike a surgeon, who sees families in pre-op office visits, Brian generally sees families for the first time right before surgery. “The challenging part is that I may meet with a family for 5 to 10 minutes to talk about what’s going to happen, and then they have to trust me with their children,” he says. “We have to build a relationship in a very small window of time.”

Brian became a doctor in part because of the influence of his father, also an anesthesiologist, and because he knew he wanted to help people, and medicine was the best fit. He notes, “In medicine, you see people when they are most vulnerable, and I have the chance to support them.  I am extremely grateful for that opportunity.”

Harding was a big influence too, he says. First, it exposed him to several “wonderful educators.” Today, they influence him when he is interacting with patients and families, and when he is teaching residents, nurse anesthetists, and other professionals-in-training in his duties as an assistant professor of clinical anesthesiology for Vanderbilt’s School of Medicine.

More broadly, Brian says Harding taught him about caring for others. Back when he was a quiet, somewhat introverted student, the supportive relationships with teachers, classmates, and Harding families helped him to grow and develop the skills he needed to succeed. Those relationships sustain him to this day, he points out. When his mother passed away, his former teachers and other members of the Harding family were right there to support him.

Although Brian received training and early practice experience at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonvilleand Seattle Children’s Hospital, he always hoped he would eventually come back to Nashville. He began at Vanderbilt this past summer. He starts work most days at 6:00 a.m. and leaves only when all of his cases are taken care of—generally five to fifteen patients per day. He regularly works on weekends. It’s busy but meaningful work. Like Harding, it’s a child-centered environment where taking an extra moment to explain something to a family or to comfort a child can make all the difference. “I really enjoy being part of that bigger mission of caring for children,” he says.