William Curtis, MD

Hometown: San Rafael, CA

Undergraduate: University of California, Santa Cruz

Medical School: University of Southern California

Interests: Mountain and road biking, skiing, pizza, travel, hanging out with dogs

I chose to train at The University of New Mexico (UNM) because of the unrivaled culture, created by hardworking yet down to earth residents and faculty. I love training in Albuquerque because of the high volume of cases, wide variety of pathology, and strong experience in every specialty. My hobbies and interests outside of medicine include mountain and road cycling, skiing, traveling, and eating pizza.

I chose orthopaedics because I love the ability to help patients return to the activities that give their lives meaning. The gratification of fixing problems in real time and quickly improving quality of life is a true privilege that is fairly unique to orthopedics.

The camaraderie and culture of UNM Ortho are unmatched. From the attendings to our junior residents, the community here creates an incredibly supportive and fun work environment. That community, combined with the breadth and volume of cases we see in every specialty, makes UNM an ideal place to train. The easy access to world-class mountain biking and skiing doesn’t hurt either.

The quality of relationships that residents have with both each other and attendings was unlike anywhere else I rotated as a medical student and is what made UNM my top choice for residency. We combine excellent surgical training with a supportive atmosphere that makes UNM an easy place to thrive.

During my sub-I, I remember putting in pedicle screws as a medical student on the pediatric spine service, going out for bike rides and beers with the residents on my days off.