On the Shoulders of Giants: Legends of Texas Anesthesiology Gabor B. Racz, M.D., ChB, DABPM, FIPP

Below is an excerpt from an article published on January 15, 2020 in the Texas Society of Anesthesiologist Newsletter: 


 

On the Shoulders of Giants: Legends of Texas Anesthesiology Gabor B. Racz, M.D., ChB, DABPM, FIPP

Grover E. Murray Professor

Professor and Chair Emeritus Anesthesiology TTUHSC

 


 

Miles Day, MD, DABA, FIPP, DABIPP

Traweek-Racz Endowed Professor in Pain Research Medical Director-The Pain Center at Grace Clinic Pain Medicine Fellowship Director

Texas Tech University HSC Lubbock, TX

 

 

 

 "We thrive on the impossibilities." The first time I heard this phrase was in 1997 at the beginning of my pain medicine fellowship at Texas Tech University. Dr. Racz uttered these words while treating a complex pain patient who had been seen at many other institutions and had finally traveled to Lubbock for treatment. At the time, I really did not comprehend what he meant, but by the end of my fellowship year, I fully understood. I believe this phrase embodies the treatment and teaching philosophy of my mentor and friend. But who is Dr. Racz and how did he become one of the foremost thought leaders in the field of pain medicine?

 

Gabor Bela Racz was born in Budapest, Hungary on July 6, 1937. The second son of hardworking parents, he was constantly encouraged to excel in his studies. Through  tireless academic hard work and physical  prowess  in water polo he was granted entry into Semmelweis University Medical School in 1955. Although medical school is stressful for most, it was especially so for young Gabor due to political and social unrest. During his second year of school the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 began. On November 27, 1956, he was forced to leave his parents and Hungary after learning that the Hungarian Secret Police wanted him for questioning. Over the next 48 hours, his group of seven, including his future wife, Enid, managed to elude communist soldiers and arrive in Eisenstadt, Austria. He and Enid had to decide on where to begin their new lives and eventually chose England. As a former Hungarian medical student, he received a scholarship to attend the University of Liverpool School of Medicine. After learning English and passing his first-year exams, he matriculated in April 1957. In 1962 Gabor received his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees. He worked in Liverpool until 1963 at the Royal Southern Hospital as a house surgeon and physician. Later that same year, he and Enid moved to Syracuse, New York, where he began an anesthesiology residency at State University of New York Upstate Medical University. He completed his residency in 1966 and over the next 11 years worked as an associate attending anesthesiologist and respiratory consultant for the Veterans Administration hospital and UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich, New York.

 Please click here to read the full article

Share this post: