ILWACO – Last month Ocean Beach Hospital welcomed general surgeon, Dr. David Friedman, to their surgical staff. Previously a department that was solely held down by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jessop McDonald, OBH’s surgical teams are now able to provide a more extensive list of services to Peninsula residents and visitors.

Dr. Friedman, an East Coast native, says his career decision at a young age was inspired by a close family member’s influence and gentle persuasion.

“My mother is [now] a retired physician,” explains Friedman, whose father worked as an architect. “It is very common for family members to follow other family members into the medical field.”

After completing his education in 1980 at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Friedman became an intern at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in Boston and later at Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco. He then completed his surgical residency at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, Calif., and hospitals affiliated with Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, W.V.

With more than 20 years of experience in medicine, Friedman has an extensive hospital history, working in three New Mexico Hospitals, three Massachusetts hospitals and also the Vandenberg Air Force Base’s First Strategic Hospital.

He served as the clinical surgery instructor at Tufts University School of Medicine for 10 years and later served as the assistant clinical professor of surgery at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque.

The surgeon also belongs to the American Society of Breast Disease, the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

After spending five years in Las Cruces, N.M., at a private practice, Friedman browsed the Internet and found an opening for a surgeon at OBH – a position that has been vacant since Dr. William Kay left last fall. Shortly after, he received a call from a recruiter, who scheduled him for a visit in February. The Ocean Beach Hospital Foundation greeted him with a gift basket of local treasures, such as canned fish and books about the area.

“It was a very welcoming gesture from the foundation and I was favorably impressed with the people and the area,” he says. “I chose to come here because of the climate and the location – I was tired of the desert heat and was thinking about going to Maine. But the climate here is similar to Maine’s and everyone here is open and receptive to having a new surgeon.”

He also adds, “The people here are more friendly and welcoming and you get to know people quickly in different settings when you’re in a smaller community, which is really fun. And I really have been enjoying the top-notch restaurants available here and across the river.”

Friedman had his first day as OBH’s newest general surgeon on May 15. So far, the average day is consumed by scheduled and emergency surgeries, as well as endoscopy and a variety of other procedures. He says he is a strong believer in scheduling time to review each surgery with his surgical team and describes the operating room as an airplane cockpit.

“Everyone in the operating room is given equal say without fear of repercussion and I think were definitely heading toward a team approach in the operating room. We’re evolving with good communication before the operation and follow an internal checklist throughout.”

In July, his wife, Mary, will be the newest nurse practitioner to focus on dermatology at the Ocean Beach Medical Clinic. They have three children – Rebecca, a graduate student at the University of Washington; Jess, who is studying music production in San Francisco; and James, who is finishing up his high school years in Massachusetts.

In the future, he looks forward to developing a strategic plan and hopes to provide a new viewpoint on what is necessary for the hospital and specialty clinic, as well as how to bring more services and specialists to the Peninsula.

“I’ve been a surgeon now for 23 years and I still enjoy the idea of surgery and if it goes well, I have helped someone surpass a possible life-threatening condition. It’s very gratifying to see people get better. … I really look forward to being here and plan to spend a good couple of years here. I’m very optimistic for this position, of myself and the community – it’s a good match.”