Our guest today is an intern at Einstein Healthcare Network. He recently graduated from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He also has his own web site and podcast called The Happy Doc. Let’s learn more about Dr. Taylor Brana and how you too can be a happy doc.

Let’s talk to the Happy Doc!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? [1:05]

I’m originally from California – I lived in the Bay Area until I was about 16, then moved to Las Vegas for a couple of years.

I applied to a bunch of schools. I’d competed in gymnastics since I was six – so I was able to get scholarships (both athletic and academic) to Temple. It was a crazy experience coming to the east coast!

How did you get involved with gymnastics? [2:15]

My family is Russian, and there are a lot of gymnasts in my family. My grandfather actually competed in the Soviet army as a gymnast and a boxer. My mom is a gymnast, my grandmother was a gymnast.

So my family plugged us into sports – it was important for us to succeed both academically and athletically.

I was a natural at gymnastics as a kid – I excelled right away. I got excited about it – I’m a competitive person.

How did you get from gymnastics to medicine? [3:50]

I’m not the traditional story, with doctors in my family. A sport like gymnastics is about training all the time – always trying to improve your skills. When I went to college, I wasn’t the healthiest person. I realized if I was going to perform at my best, I needed to understand how to be a healthy human being. So I studied nutrition, etc. I excelled academically.

I also found I loved teaching. The basis of being a doctor is being a teacher/leader.

What was the most difficult part of the med school application process for you? [5:55]

My adviser looked at my grades and said I was a good applicant, but she didn’t think I could necessarily get into the schools I was applying to. It was discouraging. I’m not sure I had the right advising early on.

Would it have helped if instead of saying you didn’t have a good chance, she’d have said you would have a better chance if you did X, Y, and Z? [7:20]

I think so.

Why did you choose osteopathy – or did it choose you? [9:24]

It was more an issue of location – I really liked Philly. It was a choice between California and Philadelphia.

I applied to both MD and DO schools. I had a lot of interviews. When I went to PCOM, I was blown away by the family feeling and culture. People are genuinely nice. After my interview, I was looking for a bus to go home, and a first year student offered me a ride – actually gave me a ride all the way home.

The osteopathic philosophy has become a part of my life.

Can you give an example? [11:10]

It’s all about mind-body-spirit; the holistic aspects of health; and hands-on treatment. The way you think can affect the way you behave.

Looking at the whole person is very important. As a resident I often see physicians really focused on symptoms—but if we don’t consider environmental factors, we’re not treating the whole issue.

And I’ve seen how touch can be important both for establishing trust and alleviating pain.

What did you like about PCOM?