Dr. Jan Gurley is a Board-certified Internist physician and the only Harvard Medical School graduate to have been awarded a Shoney’s Ten-Step Pin for documented excellence in waitressing. Having achieved this pinnacle of greatness early in life, Doc Gurley inevitably spiraled downward. Jaded, and afraid of becoming known as a waitressing has-been, she tried years of basic science research in labs (graduating magna cum laude from Harvard), then did a residency at UCSF in Internal Medicine, then received a Robert Wood Johnson Fellowship in epidemiology, public health and public policy. Like many teen-waitress-celebrities, Doc Gurley eventually matured enough to realize there could be more to her life than a polyester apron, an order pad and a pitcher of sweet tea. Her science background covers the vast territory from sub-cell systems, to human studies, to the captivating science of seeing patients one-on-one. She is also a prior Bobby Jones Scholar, and, even though she doesn’t play golf, she loves to torture golf-addicts by saying she played the Old Course in St. Andrews during her year there…but only the putt-putt holes.

Obligatory Financial Conflicts of Interest Reporting: none. Nada. Not a penny. Doc Gurley is paid an hourly salary by a city/county government, so she doesn’t even have ties to insurance companies or Medicare/Medicaid. Sigh. Perhaps if Doc Gurley had some conflicts of interest, her kids’ future college years wouldn’t seem so daunting. She doesn’t take money from drug companies, she doesn’t own stock in drug companies, she doesn’t provide links to drugs/drug companies on her website–in fact, if you want to know how she feels about drug companies, read her post “How It Feels To…Meet Satan in the Clinic Hallway.” All that being said, she is a sucker for a free meal (yes, she has been called a cheap date), a sucker for non-profit fundraisers, a sucker for desperate friends who are giving drug talks and need someone in the audience, and a sucker for free drug samples to give to her homeless patients. Those weaknesses (probably well-documented in a Merck flow diagram), and her academic textbook addiction, have all led her to relapse at times on her drug company abstinence program–and (shame) go and listen to a drug company-sponsored dinner-talk. She draws the line there (perhaps a wavering line at times, but a line that does exist). So, no drug company trips, no “honoraria,” no payment for talks she could give, no sponsoring of any kind. Well, except for the flashing, neon colored Glaxo-Smith-Klein billboard tattooed on her forehead [kidding, folks, just kidding].

So what’s with the “Doc”? Why not the more appropriate Doctor? Well, inside the insane world of healthcare, the formal title of Doctor is often used by staff, and sometimes patients, as a term (at its worst) of disdain, or (at its best) a sign that the Doctor is someone to fear, someone separate from the other members of a healthcare team. Recent medical school grads who insist on being called “Doctor” instead of “Doc” are shooting themselves in the foot. “Hey, Doc” is a term that is used by nurses, clerks, security guards, and, best of all, patients who like and respect you as a physician. It’s a phrase that builds bridges instead of creating distance. It’s an insider’s term of affection, and the one Doc Gurley is most proud to be called.