Alumni in Medicine: Steven Porter, M.D. ‘98

• Anesthesiologist and Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
• M.D. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
• B.A. in English Literature, Johns Hopkins University

Describe your responsibilities and day-to-day work.
I am up early and at the hospital usually between 6-6:30 a.m. My day begins with evaluating patients who are scheduled for surgery. Surgeries start around 7:15-7:30 a.m. I am usually tasked with taking care of 2-4 patients at any given time. The day proceeds with preoperative evaluation, intra-operative, and post-operative management. I generally talk with different surgical and non-surgical teams throughout the day about patient disposition and updates to patient flow. My subspeciality area involves  doing procedures to help with patients acute pain management like nerve blocks. I help to train residents and fellows in these procedures and spend a lot of my day supervising them doing procedures.

What is the most rewarding part of your work?
I really enjoy seeing patients do well after what can be very difficult, and painful, surgeries.

How did your passion for medicine/health care begin and were there any specific experiences that had an impact on you?
My father is a physician. I always enjoyed science and math growing up. I used to watch alongside my dad while he watched video tapes of eye surgeries.

How has your Moorestown Friends education served you in your career and life?
I was an MFS student from Pre-K through 12th grade. It was such a nurturing environment. I am far removed from the Friends school environments at MFS and nearby. We do not have Quaker schools where I live now and certainly wish that we did for our children!

Do you have any additional MFS stories or memories you would like to share that were influential in your life?
There are too many to name! I have great memories of plays, May Day, tennis practice, driving to and from campus with my family, and then, later, my brother.

Alumni News