Dr. Douglas on his inspiration for becoming a physician, why he chose his specialty and what inspires him to come to work each day:

“My inspiration to become a physician came from a variety of sources, but can briefly be summarized in these categories: faith, family, and community.

First, my faith in Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, inspired me to pursue a career in medicine as a way to serve God by caring for His creation. In many ways, I am blessed by the opportunity to utilize the talents that God has given to me and find deep fulfillment in being the instrument through which He brings comfort and alleviates the suffering of the sick. It is in this way that I can show love to my neighbors.

Second, my great-grandfather, both my grandfathers, and my father all served honorably in the United States military as medical professionals in WWI, WWII, and Vietnam, and it was an honor to have been given the opportunity to follow in their footsteps. In 2009, when I was accepted into medical school, I also accepted a Commission in the United States Navy. After multiple deployments as a General Surgeon, I received an Honorable Discharge in 2023. Now as a husband and father of two boys, I am reminded daily of the blessings that I have been given. Without my family’s Godly examples and support, I would not be where I am today.

Finally, I was blessed to grow up in a community that encouraged hard work and service to others. As an Eagle Scout, I took an oath to help other people at all times, and in the Navy, I had the opportunity to care for our nation’s finest men and women no matter where we were. Now as a life long Birmingham native, I am so excited about the opportunity to love and serve my neighbors as I would my family.

Cancer is one of the scariest words that you can say. I chose to focus my career on fighting a diseases that frequently brings people to the lowest points in their life. It is often during those lows that we can alleviate some of the greatest suffering a patient is having, and while it is not always possible to defeat cancer entirely, we can always lessen its sting.

Even more specifically, liver and pancreas surgery is one of the most technically difficult areas for a surgeon to work. By dedicating my life to this area, not only do I hope to improve the life of each and every patient that places their trust in me, but I am committed to teaching the next generation of surgeons so that they can go on to make an impacts on tens of thousands of patients.

Being part of a team that is focused on a single goal (alleviating the suffering of our patient) through all of the different skills that we have been given is what inspires me to come to work everyday. It is a true honor to care for our patients as we would any of our family.