EPISODE 23: SCOTT COHEN

JANuary 29, 2025

INTERVIEW BY PRIYANKA GERA

Edited by Amar Gopal

Photo by Scott Cohen

Where'd you grow up?
I grew up in Marietta, Georgia, which is about an hour north of Atlanta.

And if someone was to visit Marietta, Georgia, what should they do there? What's something they should know about it?
It's kind of like just a suburb. There’s a nice, cute little square with a pizza place and ice cream shops. I used to go there with my high school friends to hang out. There’s also a ‘mountain’ with great views but that's probably the most interesting part of Marietta. There’s a ton of restaurants and places to shop around, but outside of that, you have to go outside of Marietta to find interesting stuff. 

Do you have a favorite restaurant?
There’s a Japanese steak and sushi place called Asahi. I’ve been going there for 10–15 years.

What a loyal customer.
We try to get the same chef every time, and he knows us by name because we basically grew up there.

Love that. Alright, tell me a little bit about your family. Who is in your family?
So, I have a large blended family. I have one brother and two stepbrothers. My dad and my stepmom got married when I was seven, and then we all moved in together. It's just been like one big, happy family since. I have an older brother, an older stepbrother—both two years older—and a younger stepbrother by about a year.

And one of them is in the city, right?
Yes, my older brother is a big-city lawyer.

We got a lawyer and a doctor. Everything in the family.
I like to say that it's every Jewish mother's dream. I think my mom would agree. 

[laughs] I like that one. So, you're going to be the first doctor?
My aunt is a doctor, but I’ll be the first doctor in the immediate family.

So, in this universe, you're going to be a doctor, but in an alternate universe, what would your profession be?
A stand up comedian. I’m very witty and quick, and I love making people laugh, so I feel like I could make it big. I also have a bad habit of making jokes in tense situations, which is unfortunate when patients don’t think I’m funny—just kidding, my jokes land every time 🤣

The biggest learning experience you've had, or the best piece of advice you've received.
It's not really advice; it’s more like a saying that my dad likes to tell me. Actually, it’s not his quote—it’s from the famous UCLA head coach John Wooden. He said, “Life works out best for those who make the best of how life works out.” My dad took that quote to heart and taught it to me.

So, what does that mean to you?
At its most basic, I think it just means, go with the flow. Don’t get upset about things that are out of your control because there’s no point in worrying about them. And if you can control them, then go ahead and control them—but don’t worry about it. So, life works out best for those who make the best of how life works out. If something bad happens, just take it in stride and move on.

I feel like that would make a great tongue twister.
It is a little bit. I had to think about it as I said it.

What's the best thing that's happened to you recently, or your favorite moment recently? 

Um, I passed my Internal Medicine shelf.

Congratulations!
Thank you. I guess I got engaged too.

Yeah. Let’s just casually drop that into the conversation.
Yeah, I got engaged. [both laugh]

I do want to hear about the story of how you met her, because although I've heard the story a few times, people need to know the story because it's adorable.
First of all, you have to understand that I went to UGA (University of Georgia), and it's a huge football school. Everyone bleeds UGA red and black. There was a really popular kicker on the team, Rodrigo Blankenship, and he has black curly hair and glasses. And in college, I had black curly hair and would sometimes wear glasses So, I was on a bus, and this girl snapped a picture of me and said to her friend, “Oh my God, that's Rodrigo Blankenship.” And her friend was like, “No, that’s Scott. He’s in the marching band.” And she didn’t know it, but her friend was actually a mutual friend of mine, and he sent it to me and was like, “Hey, this trumpet player in the band thinks you’re Rodrigo Blankenship.” And I was like, “Oh, that’s hilarious.” And I didn’t think about it again. And then, like, a month later, we matched on Bumble, and she opened up with that. She was like, “Hey, I thought you were Rodrigo Blankenship on the bus,” and I was like, “Oh, wait, you mean this picture,” and I sent it to her. So that’s how we met. Case of mistaken identity.

So you both were in the marching band?
Yeah, she played trumpet, I played clarinet. And we never met until Bumble because the marching band has like 400 people.

And you've been on TV before for marching band?
Oh, yeah, I’ve been on TV. I’ve marched in parades. I played in the national championship. I played at every football game.

And have you kept up with the clarinet?
It’s collecting dust under my bed right now. I haven’t touched it in two years. I’m playing in the alumni band in November, so that’ll be fun—at one of the football games. The marching band invites all of the alumni back for one game. So, I’m gonna go do that because it’s during Thanksgiving, so I’ll be home.

That's so exciting.
So catch me on TV then!

What do you follow most: your head or your heart?
My head. I’m a very logical person. I have no problem following my heart, but I also like to take a step back and analyze the situation. So, I don’t charge headfirst with my heart and make stupid mistakes. I mean, I still make stupid mistakes, but at least not with my heart. Hopefully—I’m engaged now. [both laugh]

That was a great decision. Don’t worry. How do you usually handle stress or burnout?
I like to play video games after lectures or after rotations for a couple of hours to kind of decompress, and then I’ll hit the books and study. But that’s one way. I don’t try to get everything done all at once. I take breaks and I play video games. I FaceTime my fiancée—it feels so weird saying that.

It’s so cute. I love hearing it. [me squealing because my best friend is engaged to the love of his life]
I watch movies. I build Legos. I have way too many LEGO sets in my room than I’d like to admit.

Speaking of talking to your fiancée, what is your favorite date that you both have had?
One that comes to mind is one of our very first dates. This was right after COVID. So we met right before COVID, went on two dates, and then the world shut down. And we were like, “Well, it’s not like we’re gonna go meet anyone else. We might as well just keep talking over the phone.” So we did. And then when we went back to school, we were like, “Hey, do you want to try to pick things up where we left off?” So we did. And the first date we went on after COVID was I took her to this big open field an hour outside of UGA. We just went stargazing and had dinner. And, yeah, it was pretty cute.

That sounds romantic. So I’m assuming there’s no, like, light pollution there?
Yeah, so you could actually see the Milky Way and everything.

Any favorite family holiday traditions?
I don’t know if I’d call it a tradition, but we always buy the dog gifts too for Hanukkah, and the dog always gets the first gift. Our old dog used to be able to open her presents by herself—like, she would rip open the wrapping paper. So that was a cute tradition. Our dog now tries, but we have to kind of help him open the gift. But it’s still a cute little tradition. When the dog gets the first gift, then we can open the presents.

Speaking of gifts, what's the best gift you've ever received?
I know the best gift I ever gave, because Olivia is wearing it on her finger. I’m gonna keep coming back to that because that’s where my mind is at.

In terms of a gift I’ve received… I went to Europe for my Bar Mitzvah as a gift, and that was really cool. We went to Italy.

What song would you sing at karaoke?
“Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé. It’s like right in my range, and I know all the words, and it’s just a killer song.

Who's the one person who knows you the best?
My fiancée.

So, going off of that, how would she describe you in three words?
Disorganized, chaotic, and annoying.

Aww, how romantic. [both laugh] She keeps it real with you.
She does keep it real with me. She tries to fix me.

She makes you whole.
She makes me clean up after myself.

[laughs] That’s not a bad habit. Okay, what were you like as a teenager or just like your younger self?
Disorganized, chaotic, and—oh, I forgot the last one. You can listen to what I said above. I was probably like that annoying band kid in high school. Not annoying in a bad way though. I kind of mellowed out in college.

If you could have any other animal, what would it be and what would you name it?
The obvious answer is a cat because Olivia and I have talked about getting one. But I feel like you’re looking for something more exotic. Since you’re asking for real or imaginary, there are so many options. Honestly, though, my mind goes blank whenever someone asks me a question like this. It’s like being in an OSCE when someone says their throat hurts, and I forget every single cause of a sore throat. Right now, I’ll stick with a cat.

What’s your go-to strategy for handling a rainy day or a gloomy weekend?
I like to sit inside and curl up and listen to the thunder. It’s very relaxing. In Georgia, the weather was different—it would downpour really hard for maybe an hour at most, and then it’d be done. But here, it’s so depressing. It’s just a little drizzle all day, and it soaks into you.

When it stormed in Georgia, you’d get the thunder rolling, lightning flashing, but it would pass quickly. That was the perfect time to curl up with a good book or put on a movie. You’ve got the storm outside, but you’re safe and cozy inside. That’s the move.

Do you prefer Georgia life or New York life? Or do you think you can choose?
I gotta go with Georgia, I’m sorry. I’m a southern boy. There’s no sunlight here—I need sunlight.

Do you think you’ll go back to Georgia for residency?
Probably somewhere in the southeast. Maybe not Georgia specifically, but somewhere around there. Olivia is trying to sell me on Colorado or Utah, though.

What would your profession be in an alternate universe?
I feel like I’d want to do something with animals. I’ve always really liked animals. Then I thought about it and was like—if I saw one dog die, I’d retire right then and there. I couldn’t do it.

But in terms of a job, maybe a dog trainer. Or maybe I’d be one of those people who rescue dogs—like with the humane society. Going out on calls, catching stray dogs, and rescuing them. That’s meaningful work.

Tell me about your current dog, Moose.
He was a lot crazier when he was a puppy. He’s mellowed out a lot. He’s actually a very good boy now, but when he was a puppy—or I guess a teenager—he wasn’t Moose, he was Mussolini.

He’s a mutt. We don’t exactly know what he is. I have the breakdown, but it’s like 10% this, 10% that. He’s about 25–30 pounds, and we got him in 2020 during COVID. So, he’s almost five.

He’s designated me as his playmate, not his owner. Anytime I’m home, it’s playtime, 24/7. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing—he’ll try to play with me. None of my brothers, just me. And I might’ve instigated that by constantly playing with him. So, I guess you reap what you sow.

Last question: What words of advice would you give to current M1s or incoming ones?
The worst thing you can do is start med school dead set on a certain specialty—unless you’re one of those people who did neuro research in undergrad, shadowed neurology, cured a neuro disease, and absolutely know you want to be a neurologist. Then fine, go for neurology.

But for most people, you need to keep an open mind. There are so many different specialties, including ones you’ve never even heard of. If you’re too rigid, you’ll close doors you didn’t even know were open. So, keep an open mind.

Contact Scott at scohen28@student.nymc.edu.

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