MEET LOCAL LEGENDS: By Medical Specialty

"I had a revelation one day while walking down the street in Manhattan. I was working two jobs at the time, one at a hospital in Harlem, and it occurred to me that I was seeing people on the street who were sick and if I really wanted to help change the world, I had to start with the physical reality of helping these people get well so they could contribute too."

"I love the opportunity to help people. A lot of people helped me to become a physician, now I have a chance to give back and have a positive impact on others."

"It's easy to lose sight of the plight of women who can't have children, though they want them. My whole career is devoted to understanding infertility and helping women to achieve parenthood."

"I chose medicine because it would be a good job I could do wherever I lived."

"I am a people-person who really likes science and helping people, so being a doctor combines both. The longer you practice, however, the more you understand that doctoring is an art as well as a science. My advice to young girls is 'if you want to make a difference, being a doctor is not easy, but it is certainly worth it!'"

"I've always wanted to make a difference in the lives of children. My passion has been to improve eye care for kids. I would guess that I've treated more than 100,000 children over several decades. I've also tried to instill in my medical students the need to be involved in community service."

"I have naturally liked helping people all my life, plus I was someone who wanted a profession. Being a doctor is a life profession, an art as well as a science, and you only understand the 'calling' until you've practiced for a while."