Please tell us a little about yourself (name, title, field of medicine, med school attended, location, etc.)?
- My name is Dr. Rob Lapporte. I am a Board Certified Emergency Medicine Doctor and Co-Founder + Chief Medical Officer of myphysician360. Prior to myphysician360, I was the medical director of one of the most successful free-standing emergency rooms/urgent care centers in the Dallas metropolitan region. I am an alumnus of Rush Medical College Of Rush University in Illinois. I currently live in Texas.
Why did you choose to get into the medical field? What made you choose your particular area?
- Even as a child, I was really interested in science. For example, I always found the science behind human bodies to be so fascinating. As I explored careers, I really wanted to help people. Medicine was a natural fit, combining my interest in science with my desire to help others. My decision to pursue Emergency Medicine stems from my love for speed and adventure. I am a total adrenaline junkie that loves racing cars! Similarly, Emergency Medicine is fast-paced, surprising and a full-blown adrenaline rush!
What is your favorite part about being a myphysician360 medial provider?
- In addition to being co-founder and Chief Medical Officer, I truly enjoy actively practicing as part of our provider network. I find it extremely rewarding when patients say how much they appreciate both the efficiency and the fact they can avoid germs through our service. Moreover, I love the uniqueness of combining testing with consults. Patients appreciate the combination of our novel approach in which we increase the accuracy of our diagnosis. This is particularly neat as a clinician as well.
What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you while practicing medicine?
- It’s not uncommon that people ask me about the crazy stuff I’ve seen after practicing emergency medicine for over 20 years. One story that I remember from many years ago was about a guy who was working on installing a ceiling fan above his bed one night. He had cut a hole in his ceiling and was messing around with it, but he got tired and decided to go to bed before he completed it. While sleeping he woke up to a big thud on his bed. He got up and turned on his light, and much to his surprise there was a raccoon on his bed! Well rather than doing what many of us would have done (like running out of the room screaming like a child and slamming the door behind ourselves), he decided to try to corner it and remove it with his bare hands. Needless to say, this didn’t work out in his favor. His arms were full of lacerations. I guess the raccoon was a bit more aggressive than he had imagined. He was ok and pretty self-deprecating. After he made fun of himself, the two of us had a few laughs and he ended up doing fine, all things considered. I’m guessing he now has a newfound appreciation for the crew at the local animal control!
