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Don C. Rockey, M.D.,
joined MUSC on Sept. 1, 2012, as the chair
of the Department of Medicine.
Prior to moving to
Charleston, Rockey served as professor of
internal medicine and chief of the
Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases
at the University of Texas Southwestern.
He also served on the faculty at the
University of California San Francisco and
Duke University Medical Center after
earning his medical degree from the
Medical College of Virginia in 1984.
 Dr. Don Rockey
with wife, Kathy, and children Daniel,
Nicole and Kelsey.
Rockey's wife, Kathy,
is a medical consultant. They have three
children: Kelsey, Nicole and Daniel, who
are all currently enrolled in different
Texas universities.
Recently, Catalyst
writer Ashley Barker sat down with Rockey
to discuss his role and department's
mission at MUSC.
You're in your sixth month at MUSC now.
Are you settling in nicely?
We've enjoyed it.
I've been impressed by the people here
and, in particular, by how collaborative
and collegial everyone has been. People
want to do the right thing and push
programs forward. I'm an avid supporter
of that and change for the better.
What do you think about the Department of
Medicine so far?
The department is
very strong. I'd like to see us take the
next step and go from good to great. My
impression is that is what you'd hear
from other people too. There are many
opportunities at MUSC. So far, I've
tried to spend time trying to understand
exactly what different people are doing
and what the opportunities are going to
be. This has helped me focus on a vision
for the department, and I hope that
we'll start implementing some of the
vision soon.
Are you planning to change anything
within the department?
I don't believe we
will make any dramatic changes. We'll
improve upon what we're doing well and
look for opportunities to improve in
other areas. We've done a couple of
things already. For example, we've had
one research retreat, and we're going to
have another one. We're renovating the
ninth floor, our space in the Clinical
Science Building. That's a wonderful
opportunity. It's an industrious and
ambitious undertaking, and it's been a
true team effort.
Why did you move to MUSC?
I think the key
was about opportunity. I recognized that
the institution was heading in a very
positive direction, and I thought it
would be fun to help further develop
that. I would say that this prediction
has come to fruition. Of course, there
will be plenty of hurdles, but in the
end, the opportunities will outweigh
these. My wife has always liked the
Carolinas, and she likes the Charleston
area. I haven't seen much of it, but at
least she's been making up for my poor
performance.
What's the main difference between MUSC
and the University of Texas Southwestern
where you worked from 2005 to 2012?
Southwestern is a
wonderful institution with a rich
tradition in research. MUSC also has a
rich tradition, although I would say it
is more in the clinical arena. I think
that it is fair to say that for me
personally, there is more of an
opportunity to make a difference here.
What did you want to do when you were
growing up?
Believe it or not,
I always loved the water, and wanted to
be a marine biologist. I was always
curious about the water and the ocean.
How did you end up in the medical field?
As I recall, I was
in a couple of microbiology classes in
undergraduate school. I remember one day
I was in an advanced microbiology class
that was mechanisms of disease. It was a
great class, and the teacher was
fantastic. I'll also never forget the
nerdy guys that sat in the front, and I
remember thinking, "well I can do this
better than they can." So I went and
volunteered in an emergency room. I
enjoyed this a great deal, and the rest
is history. I was not one of those kids
that always wanted to be a doctor.
What is your day-to-day schedule like at
MUSC?
I think it is fair
to say that we haven't been letting much
moss grow in the office. I enjoy
spending time meeting people, helping to
develop programs, and encouraging others
to do the same. I also still enjoy
spending time in the lab – working with
our research team. For now, I've been
spending a lot of nights and weekends
writing papers and grants.
What does your research focus on?
Our laboratory
focuses on the cell and molecular
biology of liver fibrosis. When you get
a liver injury, whether it is chronic
hepatitis or from a few too many
alcoholic drinks, it leads to a
fibrogenic or scarring process. We study
the molecular mechanisms of the scarring
process in the liver.
What advice would you give young people?
Be curious. I'm a
firm believer that the curious folks are
the ones who ask the questions that lead
to new discoveries. I think the people
who are curious and push to understand
why are generally going to do well. You
can always ask another question. The key
for us is to ask a question and, if
there's not an answer, to develop a
study or process to answer it. That's
one of the challenges I'll be putting
out to our young people. Staying
enthusiastic about asking questions is
going to be an important part of us
developing as a department. Be curious
and pursue your questions.
What qualities do you think a good boss
or leader should have?
I think that
leaders should set a good example for
others in all arenas. I think they
should have a vision and be able to
articulate it to others. I think they
should have the highest level of
integrity. It's always a plus to have
some charisma and effective
communication skills, although I'm not
sure they're absolutely essential. I
think the most important thing is people
should set a good example for others.
Do you think you're a good boss?
Well, I would say
that it is early, but I would like to
try to set a good example. We'll see how
it plays out. I'm open to suggestions. I
would like to see the department invest
in developing as many of our faculty
members as leaders as possible.
When you get sick, are you a good
patient?
No. Unfortunately,
I'm not. I have this especially bad
habit of trying to work through illness,
which doesn't always work. I'm afraid
that most physicians try to take care of
ourselves and that makes us less than
ideal patients.
Where is your favorite place to visit?
I enjoy pretty
much everywhere I've been. I do enjoy
Europe. There's a lot of history,
culture and art. The people are
generally kind, well educated,
progressive, and quite open. If we
didn't already live here, I'd say that
the United States has some wonderful
places to visit – especially on both of
the coasts.
What do you do to relax?
We have a little
dog, Maddie. She's half poodle and half
Shih Tzu. The story of how she landed in
our house is too long to tell, but
essentially, we wound up with her as a
result of our girls' persistence in
raising a dog, and I will say they did a
great job. She turns out to really like
the beach. We have to laugh now as she
has learned the word "beach." Now, even
when we say "beach" inadvertently, she
gets very excited. So, we often spend
weekend afternoons walking on the beach.
She loves it all, running and rolling
around in the sand. I also enjoy
spending time with my patient wife,
Kathy.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in
Charleston?
I would say it's a
bit early to make a choice. I think
there's only one place that I've been to
more than once so far. It's too early to
pick a favorite, though. There seems to
be a lot of great restaurants around.
Do you have a nickname?
Well, that's not a
tough one – my wife calls me Rockey most
of the time.
Do you live by a specific quote or motto?
Probably very
simply "do good." I would say that I
often think of our children when people
ask about life philosophy. Our kids are
all now in college. They're in various
stages. Some are a little more mature
than others. At this point, Kathy and I
agree that about all we can ask is that
they make a positive contribution to
society. So we just hope that they will
do the best they can and, if they do
this, then there is a good chance it
will be good. So, my motto is do the
very best you can, and if you really do
this, most of the time things will work
out fine.
Friday, Feb.
8, 2013
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