EPISODE 13: LIOR ZWEIG
february 14, 2024
Interview by pRIYANKA gERA
Edited by Priyanka Gera and Michael Fortunato
Photo by Ivan Dominguez
Where are you from?
I am from Rockland County, New York in New City. I was originally born in Riverdale, New York. My family lived there until I was 6 years old, and then we moved to New Jersey for 2 years before New City.
What did you do before coming to medical school?
I didn’t take any gap years, but I did graduate college a semester early. During that time, I worked and traveled a little bit, but I mostly spent time with friends and family.
Are you going to be the first doctor in your family?
No. My dad is an internal medicine doctor (a hospitalist) and his dad was an oncologist.
Do you think they are influencing you toward a particular specialty?
My dad told me not to pursue medicine a few times. My parents started dating when my dad was in medical school, so my mom also knows how intense it is and they both wanted to make sure I didn’t do something I didn’t want to.
What were dinner-table talks always like for you? Did dad always try to talk about cool cases?
Dad would always try to talk about what he saw in the hospital that day, and my mom would yell at him. [laughs] He still does that.
Changing focus, what was the last vacation you took?
Me and three friends went to Boca Raton for the first week of the semester. We swam on the beach and studied too. It was a vacation with a nice view.
Do you do these spontaneous vacations often?
No, but it is something I’d like to do. Anytime I have the chance to have a life-affirming experience, I’d like to take it because it's good to prevent burnout and adds perspective to whatever I am doing. It’s rejuvenating.
What is your favorite thing that has happened this past week?
I got out of COVID quarantine last week so I went to the city over the weekend. It was so nice to get off campus and have the day to connect with friends and catch up.
What is the first thing you notice about someone when you meet them?
That is an interesting question. I think it depends on the person. I usually try to pay attention to gauge if someone is open-minded and kind. Those are two traits I really value in people I surround myself with.
On that note, if those are valuable friendship qualities, what is a friendship dealbreaker for you?
Honestly, I have so many different types of friends, I feel like I don’t have a particular deal breaker because I can enjoy the company of lots of different types of people. I do like spending time with people who are open minded, non-judgemental and funny. I tend to gravitate toward those people. I love experiencing different types of people though because they are so interesting.
If you could travel back in time, when would you return to?
Well, times have been rough in the human story. As far as history goes, I do not think we live in the worst period of time right now. If I traveled back in time, it would be to meet my ancestors. I would go to Morocco or Tunisia and meet my grandparents or great-grandparents. Or even as far back as Medieval Spain, which is where they are originally from. There is just so much about my family that I would like to know about, so I would travel back to learn more about where I come from.
All I vaguely remember from my history classes is that Sephardic Jews are from Spain? Is that right?
Yes, exactly.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes- I also speak a fair amount of Ladino, which is the language of the Sephardic Jews. A lot of people from Spain moved to North Africa during the Inquisition, which is where my mom’s family is from.
That is so cool. Have you visited North Africa?
No, I’d like to go though. I just don’t know when.
Have you ever had a side hustle?
My sister is getting her PhD right now in Chemistry and she works as an editor for a journal. She offered me a side hustle of editing. It doesn’t pay much but it is a small time commitment whenever I have time to commit to it. It would be a good way for me to learn about science, so I will probably take up the offer.
Who are you closest to in your life?
I don’t think I am close to just one person. I probably spend the most amount of time with my friends from NYMC. But I have childhood friends I keep close contact with, but there are people from different stages of my life I still keep in touch with. I also have two older sisters and college friends that I consider myself close to. I don’t think there is just one person.
If you had a warning label, what would it say?
[Both laugh] I spill things as you know. I have this blue water bottle that I take to lecture and spill it like 50% of the time.
So this has been an ongoing struggle for you?
It's part of who I am.
What is the last song you listened to?
Should I open up my Spotify? The last thing I listened to was Dr. Goljan’s GI lecture.
This next one is deep. What do you imagine your legacy will be?
I really hope it is about kindness and altruism. I remember hearing a speech once about how at funerals, no one ever talks about the type of clothes teh person wore or the superficial things you worry about in your daily life, but rather people remember your personality and the impact you made on them. I think about that a lot. It helps me act in more intentional ways. I hope people remember me as being hard working and down-to-earth. I think that’s important. Regardless of where you go in medicine, part of it is to not forget that you are here to help people, and that is the foundation of your purpose.
If someone wrote a book about you, what would it be called?
“My Light” since that’s what my name means in Hebrew.
Is there any piece of media or artwork that means a lot to you? Whether written for you or anything else out there?
I love HBO shows. There are a few shows that I like, especially “How to with John Wilson.” I tell everyone to watch it; it is a docuseries on NYC and I find it funny and profound. I also like reading. I am currently reading “The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love” by Bell Hooks. It is a feminist book and how sexism hurts men and all the ways the patriarchy hurts men. I like the book because the underpinnings are empathy; any type of progress in society is based in empathy.
Would you survive a zombie apocalypse?
No. In these situations, I would not want to survive a zombie apocalypse because the world and the people as I know it will be dead. I would probably just give in. I wouldn’t want to fight people for food.
Which emoji best describes you?
I love emojis. Let me check my most recent ones. I like the dancing girl in the red dress emoji. 💃🏽 I like the skull also.
Just the skull or the skull with the bones?
The skull with the bones ☠️ . I use it whenever something is funny. I also like the blushing one; I use that often too.
Words of advice for incoming M1s.
The best advice I got was that everyone makes their own way in medical school and in life. People who say there is a right way to do things are usually not giving you the complete picture. Not everyone needs the same advice. Don’t be afraid to pave your own way and figure out what is good for you. Some people in medical school prioritize work life balance and will give you advice on how to do that, others say to work as hard as you can to be at the top of your class, but their advice is just a reflection of what they wish they told themselves, and everyone is different. You should embrace this idea that whatever doctor or person or student you want to be is okay. Figure out what you value in order to live your best and truest life.
Contact Lior at lzweig@student.touro.edu.
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