The surgeons at the Norman Parathyroid Center are the most experienced parathyroid surgeons in the world, performing over 10% of all parathyroid operations in the US. Dr. Drew Rhodes is a senior surgeon at the Norman Parathyroid Center at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery in Tampa, Florida.

Get to know expert parathyroid surgeon Dr. Drew Rhodes a bit better through the Q&A below!

1) What do you enjoy most about working in a specialized field like parathyroid surgery? 

Having an immediate positive impact on my patients is the most enjoyable. The delicate surgery and the physiologic feedback mechanisms involved are also really cool.  

2) Do you have a memorable or favorite patient experience that sticks out in your mind?

Patients who had significant pre-operative symptoms waking up from our surgery pain-free and thinking clearer is awesome. A Math professor immediately comes to mind. He came to us not being able to perform his job duties. The night of his surgery, we spoke. He tells me he can now revisit a math problem he had to leave alone for months! A week after his surgery, he sent me a picture of him crossing the finish line at a 5K run! 

3) What has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of your career at the Norman Parathyroid Center?

The appreciation and love I feel from my patients, sometimes even years after their surgery (giving me an update text or note of gratitude), is inspiring and the most rewarding.  

4) How would you describe your approach to patient care?

Patient-centric, family-oriented, team approach. Here, it's all about the patient. Every patient is treated like family and provided World-class expertise, which only we can provide based on our collective experience.

5) Is there a specific book, movie, or person that’s inspired you throughout your career?

In surgery, we like to say that we stand on the shoulders of our predecessors and mentors. From Dr's Shriver, Stojadinovic, and Peoples in the Army, to Dr's Clarke, Khan, and Fraker during residency, to Dr's Udelsman, Carling, and Norman most recently; these surgical giants shaped me into the surgeon I am today. One surgeon in particular, Dr John Fobia has always been a special inspiration to me. He was born in Cameroon, received a scholarship to Brandeis University for his academics, and our shared 1st love, soccer. He was a collegiate all-american and hall-of-fame D1 soccer player, but never lost sight of his childhood dream of helping people in surgery. He was exposed to medicine at a young age, after cutting his foot on glass on the dirt soccer field near his childhood home. After the wound didn't heal as expected, he had to walk several miles to the local surgeon. By this point, he was sick and possibly facing loss of limb or life. The local Cameroonian surgeon watched him for several days, cleaning-up the wound over multiple trips to the operating room. His love for surgery was planted by the care of that surgeon, ultimately fueling him to receive a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania for medical school and residency. He carried that love to his West Philadelphia patients and the surgical residents lucky enough to be mentored by him.

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about the Norman Parathyroid Center.
• Read more on the Parathyroid blog.
• Become our patient.
• Check out our sister surgeons at the Clayman Thyroid Center and the Carling Adrenal Center. We are now united under one roof, operating at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery.