TWO TECHNOPHILES TALK ABOUT RADIOLOGY
Justin Mackey, M.D. '04 and Robert Mackey, M.D. '77
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Robert Mackey, M.D. '77, celebrated Commencement with his son, Justin Mackey, M.D. '04, and Justin's wife, Jacqueline Bassett Mackey |
"My dad loves knowledge and my grandfather loved patients," Justin says of his grandfather, who retired eight years ago at 87. Dr. Mackey chimes in: "My father-in-law loved sitting around talking to patients, taking a careful history, figuring out problems without tests. I love using technology to solve problems and coming to a diagnosis by looking through a series of tests."
Dr. Mackey says his father-inlaw sparked Justin's interest in medicine. "His office was in the basement of his home and Justin used to love to play there," he recalls. "He'd take Justin along on patient visits and let him listen through his stethoscope."
But Justin's grandfather wasn't the only influence in his decision to pursue a medical career. "My son remembers the two of us looking over x-rays by a lamp," says Dr. Mackey, who works with a 20-member radiology group in New City, N.Y. He is also affiliated with Nyack Hospital and has an office in Yonkers. "When your children are young like that you're not always aware of what they're taking in," he adds. Clearly, Justin wasn't missing a thing.
He was especially impressed with the diagnostic power of radiology. "I could tell my father-in-law things about patients without actually seeing them," Dr. Mackey says. "That really impressed my son."
Justin admits that something other than his fascination with technology drew him to radiology: the hope of having as normal a life as possible. Married last June to Jacqueline Bassett Mackey, a fourth-year student at the College, Justin wants to have the kind of reliable schedule he remembers from his childhood. "My dad was always home by 5:30 or 6," he explains. "He wasn't one of those doctors who was never home. That would have dissuaded me from going into medicine."
Having regular hours will become increasingly important once Jacqueline begins practicing medicine, Justin says. He will begin a radiology residency at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island next year and says he plans on commuting once he and Jacqueline move to Manhattan.
There's a good chance, however, that his evenings won't be as free as he imagines. According to Dr. Mackey, radiologists get night calls more often than they did when he started out. In fact, doctors commonly transmit ultrasound, MRIs, and CT scans directly to his home computer. "The evenings are fairly busy," he warns. Still, he loves his work, hectic nights notwithstanding. "I cannot imagine myself having done anything else and being as happy," Dr. Mackey says. "Frankly, I can't see Justin doing anything else either."