Live Stream - Docs Who Rock

 You may not realize it, but physicians make great musicians!  At least that's what  Dr. Debra Fromer, chief of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Urology at Hackensack University Medical Center believes. Dr. Fromer is also the lead singer in the band "Live Stream," made up of other physicians from Hackensack University Medical Center. And they recently won a Battle of the Bands competition to benefit Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives with the American Urological Association.

Practicing medicine for about 25 years now, Dr. Fromer has been a musician all her life. She loves music as an outlet to daily pressures. In fact she recalls a time during her residency when she began playing a piano in the hospital as a stress reliever. She'll never forget the feeling of family, as patients listened and sang alongside her. Now she draws similar inspiration from the musical camaraderie she's formed with team members. "Live Stream" has 7 band members, including her boss, Dr. Michael Stifelman, chair of Urology at Hackensack University Medical Center, director of Robotic Surgery and co-director of Urologic Oncology at John Theurer Cancer Center, who plays the drums, and Dr. Eric Rosendorf, the band’s guitarist, and gastroenterologist with Hackensack University Medical Center. 

At their most recent Battle of the Bands benefit, these docs who rock helped raise nearly $4,000 dollars for an important aspect of the medical community.

"One thing the NY section (of the American Urological Association) is dedicated to is supporting and enabling women and people of color to join Urology. It's one of the most underrepresented sub-specialty, with only 11 percent women representing the workforce. Only 5 percent are black and only 2.5 percent are Latino. So the goal is to support funding to enable opening up careers for underrepresented individuals and supporting them. "Urology is the second most male dominated specialty in all of medicine. So it's important for us to enable mentoring, and meetings to connect these underrepresented populations with other urologists," said Dr. Fromer. 

The group plays fan favorites and covers from the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s like this version of the Go-Go’s “Our Lips are Sealed.”

As you can imagine, organizing rehearsals based on the rigorous schedules of the doctors in the band can be a challenge! Still, the group manages to find time once or twice a month to get together and jam. And it's always a great way to end the day on a high note, while working in harmony to pay forward the opportunities they've had in their successful careers. 

I had a chance to learn more when I interviewed Dr. Debra Fromer, lead singer and chief of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Urology at Hackensack University Medical Center. 

How did your.musical group form?

Our band formed as a conglomeration of old friends (mostly in medicine) who like to play music.  Initially we reinvented ourselves for one of our birthday parties and then we kept going, playing gigs as they came up!

Why is it actually good for people to realize that doctors have interests outside their profession?

Doctors are people too!  We have interests and talents.  Like everyone else, we get great satisfaction from pursuing interests outside of medicine--and it makes us better doctors for it.

What is something that surprised you about performing with a group?

Something that surprised me about the reinvention of our band was that we can still play great music and enjoy it, even as we all age.   

How is music such a great way to pay things forward?

Our band has found a way to play music for charity, raising money for the causes that we believe in.  Most recently, we raised thousands of dollars to support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives for our medical association.   We hope to continue to pursue these endeavors.