When Dr. Gene Wu began to occasionally fill in at North Country Hospital starting in January 2009, he had no plans of settling in the Northeast Kingdom or working at the hospital on a full time basis. However after working at the hospital for a time he knew it was a special place.
“I was impressed with the hospital and the people who work here,” Dr. Wu said. “Everybody works well together.”
In June Dr. Wu became the third full-time anesthesiologist at North Country. He joins Drs. Gregory Walker and Jennifer Ladd at North Country Anesthesia Services. Also welcoming him is the practice coordinator, Hollie Thomas.
“Dr. Wu is a welcome addition to North Country,” Claudio Fort said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the hospital.” Fort is the CEO of North Country Hospital.
Born in Taiwan, Dr. Wu moved to the United States when he was 12 years old. His family settled in Fort Collins, Colorado. His father was a professor at Colorado State University and, although his mother was a nurse in Taiwan, was initially a stay at home mom when they settled in the States.
“I didn’t know a word of English,” Dr. Wu said. However, because he was so proficient in math he was able to use some of his math time to focus on learning to read and write English.
Two years after settling in the U.S. the Wu family moved to New York City. His parents became shop owners. They had high expectations for their children and for themselves as parents.
Thinking about the challenges his parents faced in their lives, including settling in a foreign country, Dr. Wu said, “I wonder how my parents did it. Looking back I see how hard they worked. It is amazing. After graduating from the Bronx High School of Science, Wu earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. In pursuit of his doctorate’s degree he applied for the University of Vermont’s College of Medicine not only because it provides an outstanding education but also because it had a championship level extreme Frisbee team.
“UVM had a great Frisbee team,” Dr. Wu said. He was a member of the team when, in 1990, the team traveled to the U.S. championships held in Scottsdale, Arizona to compete against other extreme Frisbee teams from around the country. The UVM team placed fifth in the nation.
Dr. Wu completed his internship at Tucson Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona followed by his residency in anesthesiology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. He brings to North Country, a diverse educational and medical career.
When many people think about the role of the anesthesiologists they think about the people who sedate people before a surgery. Dr. Wu said in reality there is far more to the job than that. It includes understanding physiology, pharmacology, psychology and much more.
He meets with the patients leading up to the surgery.
“Having a surgery can be a stressful time,” he said. “I like to help ease their minds.”
During the surgery, even after the patient is sedated, Dr. Wu remains in the room monitoring the patient’s vital signs. He then follows up with the patient after the surgery to help ensure proper pain management.
“I enjoy every aspect of my job,” Dr. Wu said.
Now settled into the region, the father of two has been busy getting to know the region and the people who live here. And just maybe sometime in the future he’d like to start up an extreme Frisbee team or league in the area.
