Leonard Joffe

After internships with Seftel and DuPlessis, I had planned to start Radiology, but financial pressures dictated otherwise. So GP in JNB for 6 1/2 years. Wrote surgical primary while in GP and (to my surprise) passed. Went on to 6 month trial of ENT, which I hated, then started Ophthalmology with Luntz. Loved retinal subspecialty from the start. Got FCS(SA) in 1975 and FRCS(Edin) in 1976. Emigrated to USA in 1976 with my whole family, just before Soweto. Then two years in Philadelphia in a fellowship program in retina/vitreous/intraocular oncology. Held Academic Chief position at LSU for 1 year, hated the South and New Orleans. Moved on to a very successful private practice in Tucson Arizona and just loved it, limiting to retina/vitreous/intraocular oncology. Retired in 2017 and dealt with incidentally discovered pancreatic adenocarcinoma, followed by a Whipple procedure in early 2020, in the thick of Covid season, and then 6 months of prophylactic chemotherapy. Seem to be clear of any recurrence and it looks like I really dodged a bullet. Other than multiple back surgeries (6) with 3 fusions, we are healthy. We do lots of international travel and enjoy our children and grandchildren in Boston and San Francisco. Coming to USA created wonderful opportunities for our children. Two are department chairs in Academic Medicine and we have a granddaughter, just graduating Harvard, who is a Rhodes Scholar.

Started surgical internship with DuPlessis in July 1966. First day he warned that we had to be in the wards at all times when patients needed us, usually 5 am, not to give excuses like our wife or child. Within first week my son was born at 6am so I arrived late at 7. The other guys, Jack, Irv, Hillel and Stan had me covered. The next day at the formal Pathology session with Dup a nurse came and called me, saying that my son needed an exchange transfusion. DuPlessis just glared at mess as I walked out of the room. The next week I cut the middle loop of his continuous nylon suture twice. His words "bugger it doctor, you cut me off." I don't think I was his favorite after that! He really was quite intimidating.