Health

12 HE ALTH • Fall 2019 T here's something inherently dramatic about the practice of medicine. Doctors face split-second decisions, work with people in some of the most difficult moments of their lives, and cooperate with the rest of their team in high-pressure situations with the potential to stir strong emotions. It's no wonder hospitals and other medical settings have been at the heart of popular television shows going back to the 1950s. Although far from the more sensa- tional aspects played for drama and humor on television, Central Massachusetts healthcare providers are often faced with the same situations as their popular TV counterparts and dis- play some of the same traits audiences have come to know and love. A supportive commander From 1972 to 1983, Americans fol- lowed the comedy and drama of a rag- tag Mobile Army Surgical Hospital operating during the Korean War in the popular show "M*A*S*H." Serving at the commanding officer of the unit for most of the show's run was Colonel Potter, a strong leader and excellent surgeon who helped keep of the spirits of the wise-cracking doctors he led. In Central Massachusetts, Dr. Stephen Tosi serves a similar role as the president of UMass Memorial Medical Group. "I used to love M*A*S*H," Tosi said. "It was something I watched all the time." Prior to his career in Massachusetts, Tosi himself served in a military medi- cal unit, working on a Sioux reserva- tion in South Dakota. He performed surgery and cared for people with a variety of medical problems in condi- tions – much like the mobile hospital setting of "M*A*S*H" – far from the high-tech teaching hospital setting where he works now. Still, even serving as the head of a large, multi-campus organization in Worcester, Tosi embodies much of the same spirit as Colonel Potter, helping to keep his doctors in good spirits despite the difficult, stressful nature of their jobs. "We try to really make this a great place to work for our physicians," he said. "There's a big problem across the country with physician burnout." Tosi said another reason he identifies with Colonel Potter is the "M*A*S*H" commander's company clerk, Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly, who was known for his preternatural ability to accomplish tasks before being asked. Tosi said that reminds him of UMass Senior Executive Assistant Wendy Schellhammer. "I have called her Radar O'Reilly for years," Tosi said. "She has this uncanny ability. I think she reads my mind." A steady hand in pediatric emergencies Elsewhere at UMass, pediatric sur- geon Dr. Jeremy Aidlen reminds some • By Livia Gershon The TV doctors of Central Mass. Dr. Stephen Tosi embodies Colonel Sherman Potter through his steady and supportive leadership. Life imitating art imitating life. Local medical providers exhibit the same traits of famous characters who have le lasting impressions in audiences' minds. PHOTOS/ ALLAN JUNG

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