Stiles

Harper

MD

Hometown: Estill, South Carolina

Undergraduate: The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina

Medical School: The Medical University of South Carolina

Why did you choose VUMC Emergency Medicine? When my family and I rolled into Nashville before residency, we had two box trucks to unload into our new home. When we arrived, there were seven people from the residency who showed up and helped us unload everything over the course of four hours. They had never met me before. This was the main reason why: I wanted to be surrounded by the people who wanted to impact the world through service to others, both inside and outside of the hospital. And these people show up. It does not hurt either that there are few training grounds which exist in the EM world as superior as VUMC.

Interests in emergency medicine: I am a Golden Retriever; I get excited literally about everything: simulation, critical care, EMS, ultrasound, tactical, pediatrics. I love that this program is designed to expose me to each of these interests (and a group of EM docs within each) firsthand to help inform and direct all of my perceived interests in this wonderful specialty. I am curious to find out myself!

Five year plan: To look back on myself right now and be able to say, "Man, you kept your priorities, you kept your commitments, and you showed up."

If not EM, what? I would be a contractor by buying, remodeling, and selling homes. 

Hobbies: Now with two children, it looks different than it used to, but the one thing that has remained constant is that I am finding myself/ourselves on some type of active adventure. Unless it is before 6 a.m., hobbies are family affairs in my life now. And it is awesome. 

Random fact about me: God rescued me back in September of 2016, and it has made all the difference.