episode 08: judah hoffman

November 1, 2023

Interview by pRIYANKA gERA

Edited by Priyanka Gera and Michael Fortunato

Photo by Judah Hoffman

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Toronto. 

You’re Canadian?

Yeah, real-time Canadian. We grew up playing hockey. I had a hockey rink in my backyard. We went skiing every weekend. It was a whole deal. 

Wait, so why New York? 

I came to New York for undergrad. My parents wanted all the kids to come to the States for school because the Jewish community on campus tends to be better in American schools than Canadian schools. And also just the idea of getting a liberal arts education was attractive to my parents and also to all of us. So I came to Columbia. And I stayed. 

How many siblings do you have? 

3. 

Are they all in New York? 

One of them just went back for law school in Canada. But the rest are in New York. 

What did you major in?

Neuroscience. I thought I wanted to be a neurosurgeon coming into medical school, and just for my whole life in general. And now there is no chance. I would never do that to myself. 

What did you do before medical school? In your gap years. 

I took 1 gap year and I worked at Regeneron in the histology department. It was a lot of fun. Just down the road. I really liked it because doing research at academic institutions is so different from pharma companies. They have more money so you have all the fanciest tools and if you need something, you can request it and they will get it for you. It really changes the way research is done and I think it also changes the outcome of the research because you have tools to have the science guide you as opposed to budget constraints coming in the way. It was a really great experience. I highly recommend Regeneron. 

So did you apply to NYMC because you were already so close by?

I applied to a bunch of schools around New York. I applied to Canadian schools too, but I didn’t get in. There are very few medical schools in Canada so it is much more competitive than it is in the States. I liked the area and I wanted to live in the city, which I currently do. I also got married and my wife is an investment banker, so it is good for her to be close to the city too. 

Do you have any pets? 

No pets, but my wife really wants to get a dog. I don’t think we have the time for it though. We are both so busy and we also live in an apartment in New York. It feels cruel to have a dog if neither of us are going to be in the apartment 90% of the time. 

Any hidden talents? 

I was part of a Jewish a capella group in college and I was the beatboxer, mainly. I definitely did some of that. I am not sure if that’s a talent, but…

Are you kidding me? That is for sure a talent. 

It was a lot of fun. We used to travel all over the States and sing for different Jewish communities like old age homes, Jewish day schools, synagogue and spend the weekend there. During spring break we would go abroad and do the same thing. 

That’s a lot of traveling. Are you still beatboxing?

No, it's hard to keep up with that. 

What’s the last vacation you went on?

Last Passover my family and I went to Miami Beach, which was a lot of fun. We spent a week on the beach, hanging out and soaking up the sun. But generally, I prefer ski trips. They are so much fun. Skiing is the best. 

Where do you usually go on skiing trips? In Canada?

I have been all over. Near Toronto, my family has a place and we used to go every weekend in high school. But further afield, Western Canada, Western America, Swiss Alps, French Alps, etc. I love skiing. I was on my high school ski race team. It was a good time. There is a steep learning curve, but once you are on the other side of the curve, its a skill you will have for life. 

Do you have a favorite skiing trip?

During my gap year before college, I was studying in Israel for a year. I have some cousins there who were taking a ski trip to the French Alps, which is kinda close once you are already on that side of the world. So we went for a week and we just skied and hung out. I loved it. They also had a little baby girl at the time so we skied with her. 

Have you ever ventured into snowboarding?

Actually, yeah. Recently I tried it out. I fell on my butt a lot. I didn’t break anything. It is just different. For skiing, my brothers and I have this app to track how fast we go and we are trying to hit like 70 mph, while with snowboarding I am just trying to get down the mountain alive. So it is very weird to take a step back. But it is a new skill. They say it is easier to pick up, but harder to master. I don’t know if that’s true though. 

I wouldn’t know either. 🤷🏽‍♀️ This next question is a bit serious. What do you think is key for a long-lasting friendship?

Hmmm. I think staying in constant communication is the most important thing. It is easy to lose touch with people, especially if you aren’t in the same place or same life stage as them. But if you are in constant communication with them, it can keep it alive. And obviously getting together in person is ideal, and just hanging out and being vulnerable with each other. Having deep conversations, which most people may not do with their friends, is also important because it bonds you tighter and gives you more of a reason to stay in touch. 

Are you a coffee or tea person? 

I don’t really drink coffee. I don’t know if I am a tea person. I like hot chocolate a lot. I don’t drink it regularly. It’s not an everyday thing like coffee. 

For sure. It is more of a wintery drink. Do you have a go-to recipe for your hot chocolate?

I like to put a few drops of mint extract into it. It’s so good. 

Mint? [in utter shock] Let me guess, you like mint chocolate chip ice cream?

Obviously. What do you mean? That’s like asking, “do you like breathing air?”

[laughs] It tastes like toothpaste to me. 

NO. It tastes like mint because it is so yummy. It tastes like winter. 

What are three things you always travel with? Besides your phone. 

I always travel with religious articles, like the Tallit and Tefillin that you put on every morning when you pray. So I definitely never go anywhere without those. I guess a toothbrush because I feel really gross if I don’t brush my teeth in the morning. Umm… Can I bring my wife? 

[laughs] She’s not a “thing”, but we can make an exception to this question for you. 

Okay, no I’ll pick a different thing. A book. Doesn’t have to be a specific one. I feel like I have to read to keep myself entertained.

Do you have a favorite book? 

I really like When Breath Becomes Air. It’s about a neurosurgeon who is contending with his own illness and his sort of sure death. It is very beautifully written. I recommend it to everyone.

Did you read this when you wanted to be a neurosurgeon?

Yeha, probably. But also, it is a pretty great book in terms of memoirs. But yeah, I have read a lot of books by neurosurgeons in my day. 

I think I know that you are an EMT. Is that true?

Yes, I was at Columbia. I was a volunteer EMT with the ambulance corp there. We took ourselves pretty seriously which was funny because we dealt with a lot of drunk people and some injuries, broken bones, some drunk people who broke bones.  But it was fun. It also gave me a bigger insight into the real life on campus events that you might not see. We had some suicidal ideations, that we would pick up. Some facilities members had heart attacks. So you think of a university as this perfect life, but it’s not. There are some bad things happening. People have panic attacks in the middle of class––they were supposed to give a lecture but they are immobilized to the point that we have to bring them to the hospital. Something that’s a utopia for one person, can be really hard for another. I really loved my time in the ambulance. I also got to drive it which was so much fun. I would do night shifts so we would sleep on the couches at our base, where we had an office and then get called at like 3 am. The radio would go off and I still have a visceral reaction to that sound. But we’d have to wake up and be in the ambulance 10 seconds later, driving on the New York streets. So fun. 

Do you still have your certification? 

I think it actually just expired in September, because they extended it an extra year for COVID. Oops. 

Which emoji best describes you?

I like the emoji of the teary eyed smile 🥹. Like the cute one, it’s wholesome. It's not sad tears, but “aw it’s so cute tears.” Because I feel like so many things are just so adorable. The world could be so adorable sometimes if you look at it in a certain way. 

Do you believe in fate or free will?

That’s a very deep question. I like to think it’s sort of a mixture of both. But towards the side of free will. I think that God has a plan for the world, but also He lets us make our own choices. And we have a lot of free will to do what we want. We have a lot of different paths we can take, but at the same time I think God knows which path we are going to take, even though it is up to us to decide to take that path. I do think that God is all-knowing, but also we have the opportunity to do our lives as we choose to. It’s complicated. It’s a pretty philosophical question. I did a lot of research on that––determinism and free will in undergrad. I guess I didn’t mention this, but I was in a joint program with Columbia and the Jewish Theological Seminary. So I actually have two bachelor’s degrees. One is in Neuroscience and one is in Talmud, Jewish Rabbinics. For that degree I did a lot more ethics and religious thinking. 

What drew you to pursue both degrees?

I applied to it together. It was a great opportunity to learn jewish law and jewish thinking at the university level, which is pretty unique. There are a couple of places that offer it in New York, not really so much elsewhere in the country. And Columbia is hard to turn down and the community there is amazing. 

Any favorite family holiday tradition?

Recently it was Sukkot, where we build huts and lived in them for a week. My family has a pretty intense one at home because it is Canada and it is usually freezing at that time of year. Here you will see a lot of them with clothes and steel beams holding it all together. But ours is made of these wooden panels; it’s a pretty legit structure that we put up. So my parents always tell us the story that when we [my brothers and I] were little, we would go around with our little hammers and smash the wooden panels to pretend like we were helping. I think that’s a fun story. I don’t remember it, but I’ve seen pictures of it and they talk about it. Now, we do most of it and my parents watch while we put it up. These days it takes us 30 minutes to put up, but when we were younger and my parents were doing it, it would take 4-5 hours to do. 

How did you know you wanted to be a neurosurgeon since you were a kid?

Since I was 7, I’ve wanted to be a neurosurgeon. You could read my medical school application. I’ve always been really fascinated by the brain but also I used to watch Grey’s anatomy when I was a little older, so that continued to pique my interest. When I was in elementary school and high school, I thought it was one of the loftiest things you could do. Your brain is what makes you who you are. You could have a broken leg, but it wouldn't change who you are, but if you have brain damage, it would most likely alter you pretty drastically. So being able to fic that is one of the most incredible things you could do for someone as a human being. I really thought that that is what I would do with my life. I am pretty tech-savvy which you have to be because neurosurgery is constantly evolving and there is a lot of cool, interesting technology that goes into it. I just don’t understand how you could do that and have a family, or have a satisfying life outside of your career. You are always in the hospital helping people. You also have to be there for your family and help yourself a little bit too. 

Something less serious––your favorite season.

I love the winter. Just because all my favorite sports occur in the winter. 

What other sports? We talked about skiing…

Hockey. I played a lot of hockey growing up. We used to build a hockey rink in my backyard every summer. One year I played select hockey, which is like (single) ‘A’ hockey, where you actually have to try out. We played three nights a week and went away on tournaments. Otherwise, I played just house league for my whole life––about 15 years from early elementary school to high school. It’s so fun. I love team sports. There is just a camaraderie that comes with it, and hockey is incredible. 

What song would you sing at karaoke night?

Maybe “Breaking Free” from High School Musical. I feel like “Don’t Stop Believing” also; that’s a classic karaoke song. Just anything you could belt. What song would you sing?

The only song I know all the lyrics to is “Shape of You,” Ed Sheeran.

Oh, that’s a nice one. I just went to his concert this summer. It was the first concert I’ve been to. It was so much fun. 

Where was the concert?

At MetLife stadium. It was awesome. So cool. 

Why Ed Sheeran?

I love his music. I don’t know. I just like the “singer with a guitar” vibe. Not too much of the electronic stuff in the background or a whole band. Also the tempo of his music. Recently he released the album, “Autumn Variations,” where he described it as a fall-warm hug. It’s so nice to listen to songs like that. He also recorded them in people’s homes. He would just show up at people’s apartments and just record a song there. So he has the normal version and then there will be a version that says “in Priyanka’s home.” It’s really funny. He is also just a cutie. He married his childhood best friend and didn’t let the fame get him so much. 

Your first job?

I used to teach canoeing and kayaking. Every summer during high school at the harbourfront in Toronto. Toronto borders Ontario, but there is a Toronto harbor river that is sort of between Toronto and the lake where there’s islands, so it forms a little harbor. We used to go to the camp as kids all the time. It was a one-week day camp where sometimes you do canoeing or kayaking––depending on what you signed up for that week. We went as kids, and then when we were too old, we just went back as instructors. It was a great way to spend summers. We were outside all day and were active. I would come back so tan every fall. It was quite the time. It’s a lot of work, especially when you are responsible for a bunch of little kids that do not know what they are doing. FOr kayaking especially because everyone is in their own boat. If it’s a windy day, then people are blowing all over the place; some people flip. You have to manage that and keep everyone safe. It is fun though. Highly recommend it if you are into water sports. I also do a little bit of standup paddle boarding.

That’s a lot of sports. 

It’s all kind of the same.  Canoeing, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding. More or less the same thing. Once you know one, you could probably figure all of them out. 

What are you feeling grateful for today?

I am grateful for my kidneys. I feel this very often in medical school. Whatever we are learning  about, I think “This is such a complex system. How is my body just doing this, and doing it right?” What a blessing that my organs are functioning, in harmony. I am grateful for urine. Mine, specifically.

[**for context, we were in the renal unit.]

Three foods you absolutely dislike. 

Black licorice. I am not a huge fan of brussel sprouts. And, I can’t eat pig, so I’ll put that as the last one. 

Last question. Words of advice for the current M1s. 

Just hang in there. It gets better in M2. I am so much more interested in the material we are learning this year; it seems more clinically relevant, which I find more fun. It’s more like what we signed up for. 

Contact Judah at Jhoffman8@student.nymc.edu.

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