Dr. Rex Haydon
“Success is not an End”: Perspectives from Dr. Rex Haydon
By Jun Matsui, MS 4
Jun Matsui and Rex Haydon, MD ‘96, PhD
Rex Haydon, MD’96, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Associate Director of the Molecular Oncology Laboratory at the University of Chicago. After completing degrees in anthropology and medicine, doing residency at the University of Chicago, and completing fellowships in musculoskeletal oncology and orthopaedic research, Dr. Haydon balances a busy clinical practice, successful research career, and teaches medical students and residents. I first met Dr. Haydon in the Orthopaedic Surgery Clinic when I was a first-year medical student, and I was struck by how engaged he was with his patients, his empathy, and his willingness to teach. This year Dr. Haydon received the Laros Teaching Award from residents and was inducted into Pritzker’s AOA chapter, recognizing his dedication, excellence, and humanism.
Jun Matsui (JM): Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Dr. Haydon. I thought we’d start with your thoughts on your path from Pritzker to where you are now.
Rex Haydon (RH): My background isn’t typical of most premeds, but it was my work in anthropology that led me to medicine and allows me to see different aspects of medicine and view medical problems differently. Anthropology examines people’s culture and values, which play a significant role in all interactions, including patient-physician interactions. I enjoy understanding that the cultural values that people bring, and being respectful and responsive to them can give you a great window into learning about people and their responses to illness. In my practice, I see a huge variety in patients’ responses to a diagnosis of cancer—seeing the role of culture, the role of family, and trying to understand their views adds a different dimension and personal aspect to my interaction.
JM: What influenced your decision to stay at the University of Chicago for residency, fellowship, and practice?
RH: Something that is truly remarkable about the University of Chicago is its emphasis on cross-disciplinary work. I started out in anthropology and met and worked with physicians and became fascinated by the direct relevance of medicine. Within medicine, we use research to improve our clinical skills and what we can offer patients, and we use our clinical work to focus our research. A unique characteristic of the medical school is that it encourages people to incorporate their other interests into medicine, and it attracts people who love that intersection. And finally, there’s a focus on teaching—we place resident and medical student education and interaction above financial or other interests. The best mentors will help you evaluate your career and focus on maximizing your potential—they may recognize things in you that you yourself don’t.
JM: What do you enjoy the most about being an academic physician?
RH: Diversity. In my clinical work, field research in Peru, teaching, research, and maintaining ties to anthropology, I gain a lot of different satisfactions. In clinical work, there are immediate rewards from the interaction with patients who appreciate what you do for them. In research, there are overwhelming moments of recognition and gratification with some down time in between, and in anthropology there’s a different mindset that refreshes my perspective. The key is to maintain balance and organization. Fortunately, this environment really fosters that.
Holly J. Humphrey, MD ‘83 and Rex Haydon, MD ‘96, PhD
JM: What’s important to remember in maintaining a balance in life and work? What helps keep you balanced?
RH: Listen to the people you work with, the people you live with. It’s important to make sure you spend enough time listening—it’s not a time to be selfish. Ultimately, it’s about keeping an open mind and realizing that you can always attain a better balance. You have to know yourself and what makes you happy, have confidence in what you do, and realize your limitations.
JM: What constitutes success, to you?
RH: I will say this: success is not an end. Truly. It’s about feeling that you’re going in the right directions; life’s never done. Success is such an evolving process, a moving target—you can always do things better. It’s not only about being happy right now, but knowing that you’re enriching your life and the lives of those around you.
JM: What are you most proud of?
RH: I’m happy to be able to maintain balance in my family and career. It’s a matter of keeping perspective and remembering that we’re making a difference…while not taking myself too seriously! It’s so gratifying to have a 10 minute talk with a patient and hear them tell you that they have learned more about what’s going on with them than they’ve learned in the past several months. When patients tell you that, it feels great.
JM: Thank you for sharing your perspectives, Dr. Haydon.
