Warren Snodgrass, MD
Standing at the head of the circle during chapter meetings facing sometimes skeptical, and occasionally hostile, brothers prepared me to stand at a podium years later facing sometimes skeptical and occasionally hostile surgeons around the world as I lectured to them about hypospadias! In fact, I learned as Consul to stand with feet firmly planted, eyes engaging the audience, and found that experience invaluable speaking at international conferences and surgical workshops. I can also testify from listening and watching that many other medical lecturers would have benefited from a similar experience!
Dr Nicol Bush, my colleague, and I are considered the leading authorities for correcting hypospadias, the most common birth defect you’ve probably never heard. Because it affects the penis. I created one operation that became the most commonly used surgical repair worldwide. Then Dr Bush and I devised another for the most severe cases when that first operation cannot be used. Choosing one of the other according to the boy’s anatomy, we are able to make the penis normal.
Just before the pandemic, we purchased a surgery center to house our Hypospadias Specialty Center. Unfortunately, 3 weeks after we moved in the state closed all Texas surgery centers for nearly 2 months because of covid! We spent that time on a quest to find a lab that could quickly and accurately perform testing so we could safely reopen, and pay our new mortgage! The whole experience reminded me of hell week…, but, like that ordeal, we survived.
Today we operate all day 4 days a week on patients traveling here from all 50 states and over 80 countries, to date. We recently hired 2 more surgeons and, as soon as we find 1 more, I can finally retire from the operating room! Not to the golf course, though, but to full-time fund raising for our 501(c) nonprofit, Operation Happenis, to help more patients and doctors wanting to learn afford to visit.
The journey from Texas Tech through medical school, general surgery and urology residencies, and, eventually to pediatric urology fellowship training, pulled me farther and father away from my fraternity bonds. Somehow, a brief stint as EN chapter advisor did not revive the best earlier memories… Fortunately, many of you have remained better connected and active hosting and attending alumni events both in Dallas and Lubbock. I’m grateful for y’all nudging me back into the fellowship.