AAMC Reporter: December 2006

Getting Under the Hood

It doesn't take a surgeon to understand what makes surgeons tick: the inborn appetite for taking something apart, finding out what makes it tick, fixing it up, and putting it back together.

Sonny Bal, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at The University of Missouri Health Care, has a hobby that clearly reflects these professional proclivities. He likes to restore vintage automobiles.

"As a surgeon, I need to take a complex problem such as a revision total hip arthroplasty and break it mentally into components," Bal explains.

"Then, each component is addressed, while driving steadily toward the goal of a working, repaired hip joint, or knee joint. It is almost the same with an old car. One breaks the task into systems, prepares, organizes, and approaches the problem in a systematic way."

Bal says his interest in car restoration began in earnest during his college days, when he kept his own ride in running shape. After his residency was over, he returned to the practice for fun, tracking down old cars and trucks from newspaper ads, and later, EBay listings. Partial to the classic models of the 1950s and '60s, Bal just finished overhauling a 1950 Ford pickup and is now tackling a classic '68 Ford Mustang Coupe. Of course, once the task is completed, Bal says he likes to reap the fruits of his labor.

"It has a rewarding endpoint," he said. "Getting things cleaned up and working is very enjoyable, and you have something to drive and enjoy at the end."

—S.H.

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