Kate Savoie, MD, MS, is a surgeon who specializes in trauma, emergency general surgery, and critical care.
Dr. Savoie says she was drawn to medicine because of an influential science teacher in middle school. She considered forensic science and pediatrics before falling in love with trauma surgery.
“It’s one of the few fields of surgery where the patient doesn’t plan to have surgery. In other areas of medicine, the doctor meets the patient first in clinic and develops a relationship with them,” she says. “With trauma, you are meeting people on what might be one of the worst days of their life. It is a high stakes and high drama type of situation, and I like having the opportunity to turn that worst day into a potentially good day or at least a better day.”
Dr. Savoie says she enjoys the uncertainty of what each work shift will bring her and the chance to help people in their greatest moment of need.
When she is practicing critical care medicine, Dr. Savoie says that likes being able to use a different side of her brain. “When you are doing surgery, it’s about figuring out the immediate problem and fixing it,” she says. “With critical care, it’s like a complex puzzle as the patient may have many medical co-morbidities. Plus, a lot of times, the general emergency surgery and trauma patients may end up in the intensive care unit so I like that I can manage their post-op care, too.”
Another important aspect of her job is calming fears that family members of trauma and emergency surgery patients may have. “I make sure to not use a lot of medical words but explain what is going on and why and what we can do to help,” she says. “I am always very open and honest and don’t want anyone to feel blindsided. We want to give everyone hope, but false hope is not helpful.”
Dr. Savoie’s research interests include patient outcomes, quality improvement methodology, and improving quality of care within the health system.
