Walter Klyce, MD
Hand & Upper Extremity Fellow
Stanford University
Palo Alto, CA
Member Since: 2019
How has the AAOS helped you throughout your career?
I went to my first AAOS Annual Meeting as a third-year medical student (2018, in New Orleans) and was blown away by the scale of the event; I remember even then being able to get free CV advice at the career center booth, as well as to go to product demonstrations and live talks and ICLs from so many of the experts I'd heard of but never met. Since then, I have enjoyed giving some research presentations there, as well as benefiting tremendously over the years from both the ResStudy platform and the AAOS board review course.
As a Fellowship Member, which AAOS resources do you use and why?
For learners at every level, I still think that JAAOS's review articles remain the single best way to bone up (if you will) on a topic. In my experience, they are consistently well-written, thoroughly vetted, and highly informative. I tend to trust these more than any single textbook or video. As a current job-seeker, I also am grateful for the AAOS's online Career Center, which is another impressive and wonderful resource.
What's the best advice you were ever given? Who was it from?
Dr. Michael Salata, one of my residency faculty at Case Western and a team doctor for the Cleveland Browns, says "if you're green, you're growing; but if you're ripe, you're rotting." This philosophy--to be humble, curious, not too big for your britches, always striving to learn and to improve--resonates with me deeply, and it is a mantra I try to return to time and time again.
What's your go-to productivity trick?
As a parent of young kids, I am most focused when I can get outside the house. But as an extrovert, I also prefer to do computer work or answer emails in a semi-public place, like a coffee shop or courtyard. I have also found success with Dr. Jay Khanna's trick of moving to a different spot every so often so that with a new setting I can establish a new habit or routine. As for clinical productivity--ask me again a year from now! :D
What's one thing you're currently trying to make a habit?
Running! It is something I've never done consistently, and I am certainly still quite slow. But what I always admire about running is, that anyone can do it, and usually, the only barriers are motivation and sustained willpower. If I can stick with it, it'll be a great long-term investment for my cardiovascular health; and, boy do I always feel better the next day.
What hobbies do you enjoy in your spare time?
I used to do the NYT crossword every Sunday, though I've gotten less good recently. I sing and play a few instruments, and I love to listen to podcasts (about movies and the news) while driving or working out.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that not many people know?
I used to do a fair amount of backpacking and did a 19-day solo trek of the Long Trail (the length of Vermont) the summer before medical school. If I can one day find time for it, I'd love to thru-hike the New Hampshire section of the Appalachian Trail as well, which includes some of the East Coast's best peaks, like Mt Lafayette and Mt Washington.
Visit Dr. Klyce's personal website here.