Docs Who Rock

Newswise — You may not realize it, but physicians make great musicians!  At least that's what  Dr. Debra Fromer, chief of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Urology at Hackensack University Medical Center believes. Dr. Fromer is also the lead singer in the band "Live Stream," made up of other physicians from Hackensack University Medical Center. And they recently won a Battle of the Bands competition to benefit Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives with the American Urological Association.

Practicing medicine for about 25 years now, Dr. Fromer has been a musician all her life. She loves music as an outlet to daily pressures. In fact she recalls a time during her residency when she began playing a piano in the hospital as a stress reliever. She'll never forget the feeling of family, as patients listened and sang alongside her. Now she draws similar inspiration from the musical camaraderie she's formed with team members. "Live Stream" has 7 band members, including her boss, Dr. Michael Stifelman, chair of Urology at Hackensack University Medical Center, director of Robotic Surgery and co-director of Urologic Oncology at John Theurer Cancer Center, who plays the drums, and Dr. Eric Rosendorf, the band’s guitarist, and gastroenterologist with Hackensack University Medical Center. 

At their most recent Battle of the Bands benefit, these docs who rock helped raise nearly $4,000 dollars for an important aspect of the medical community.

"One thing the NY section (of the American Urological Association) is dedicated to is supporting and enabling women and people of color to join Urology. It's one of the most underrepresented sub-specialty, with only 11 percent women representing the workforce. Only 5 percent are black and only 2.5 percent are Latino. So the goal is to support funding to enable opening up careers for underrepresented individuals and supporting them. "Urology is the second most male dominated specialty in all of medicine. So it's important for us to enable mentoring, and meetings to connect these underrepresented populations with other urologists," said Dr. Fromer. 

The group plays fan favorites and covers from the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s like this version of the Go-Go’s “Our Lips are Sealed.”

As you can imagine, organizing rehearsals based on the rigorous schedules of the doctors in the band can be a challenge! Still, the group manages to find time once or twice a month to get together and jam. And it's always a great way to end the day on a high note, while working in harmony to pay forward the opportunities they've had in their successful careers. 

For more information or an interview with one of the talented musician physicians, contact [email protected].