Why I Went Into Medicine: Melanie Hayden Gephart, MD

Melanie Hayden Gephart was deep into neuroscience research when her uncle, only 34, died of a malignant brain tumor. His death turned her toward neurosurgery. “That experience was a transition for me,” she said. Now, Hayden Gephart helps patients as a Stanford Health Care neurosurgeon and continues her work as a researcher looking for new ways to treat brain tumors. In this video, she talks about why she continues that dual path to help her patients—and what it was like as she began her training. Observing neurosurgery done while patients are partially awake, watching the effect of that surgery, “is a very humbling experience,” she said.