Welcome to the Resident Spotlight!
Every month, we will try to highlight one of our very own Orthopaedic Surgery residents and get to know them a little better.
This Month, we would like to introduce:
Kenneth Gundle, MD
Full name:
Kenneth Gundle
Nicknames:
None
Where are you from and where did you attend medical school?
I am originally from beautiful Portland, Oregon, and am happy to be back in the Great Northwest after 9 years away. After college and a year in Japan, I went to Harvard Medical School. I pretty much enjoyed all the med school rotations – they are a nice (and last) broad exposure, but the two that stick out are an Infectious Disease consult month, and especially a month doing Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Pus is a big part of surgery, and seeing how a consult service works in medicine was insightful. PM&R is a fantastic field, one I suspect will be more closely allied to orthopaedics in the future, and it was time to focus on another aspect of musculoskeletal medicine.
When did you decide to pursue Orthopaedic Surgery?
While I had my hunches, just based on loving MSK anatomy and the sorts of patients/problems/diseases/pathology that orthopaedic surgeons care for, it was something I kept actively questioning throughout school. It is a hard decision for almost everyone, and there are a lot of interesting fields out there. I bet that most people could be happy in a variety of residencies (and, depending on the person, the opposite may also be true).
For me, it was the combination of spending some time in the OR, getting involved in research, and spending time on ortho and non-ortho rotations that solidified the decision over time. Having been through the process, there were so many of my classmates who dramatically switched paths late in 3rd year and 4th year. My advice would be to treat every rotation like it could be your future, and see what drives you, rather than what you (or others) happen to think is a good fit. Plus, if I were a prospective program, I’d look highly upon students who can do well and work hard even in areas they don’t love… it would indicate someone who will work hard as a resident.
What attracted you to the University of Washington?
I feel so lucky to be here. While it is a great coincidence that I get to be so close to home, I would have wanted to be at this program regardless of the geography. Doing an away rotation let me see the people, mindset, and program. I love the hardworking attitude, and Harborview truly is a remarkable place – it is a unique exposure to orthopaedic trauma, which is critical to learning the principles and practice of the field. On top of that, I think that having a busy public hospital, premier academic medical center, large VA hospital, and comprehensive hospital for children in close proximity provides a great, relatively unique infrastructure for success in a surgical residency. At the UW program the full breadth of orthopaedics is well represented, with respected experts throughout, giving us a general education and foundation for our careers, whatever path we choose going forward. This is a place where I knew I would be pushed hard, and that is what I want and need.
If you had a month off to do whatever you wanted to relax, what would that be?
I would take my wonderful wife-to-be and introduce her to Japan, and spend the month traveling on locals trains, hiking around temples and cities, eating great food, and hanging out in hot springs. Along the way I would read a good book or two.
What 3 things would you bring with you if you got stranded on a island for 1 month?
My survival guide (which plenty of blank pages for notes), my leatherman, and the Bear Grylls Survival Series Fire Starter – I know the value of a knife and fire.
What is the best excuse for being late to something/ or the best excuse that you have heard?
I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.
What is your favorite meal?
In early December, I’ll go with mom’s Thanksgiving Feast
Best color scrubs you have ever worn?
Any color, with several swipes of plaster from a long night of call.
What is the best advice you have received or could give to medical students pursuing Orthopaedic Surgery/Sports Medicine?
“Read textbooks, not articles. You have to build a foundation of knowledge.” (a mentor in med school… wish I had heard it two years prior