
The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine is comprised of a unique blend of interdisciplinary researchers and clinicians dedicated to...
- Conducting ground-breaking research that influences public
policy and conquers disease;
- Offering a broad-based curriculum to UCSD undergraduates, medical
students, residents, and physicians across the country;
- Providing health education and clinical care to the underserved
community.
Faculty Profile: William Norcross, M.D.
Dr. William Norcross loves older people."I
think that's because I had such a wonderful relationship with my grandparents," said
the geriatrics specialist, family physician and Professor of Clinical
Family Medicine at UCSD since 1978. Unfortunately, many doctors don't
feel that way. As a result, there's a real shortage of geriatric physicians
in the United States.
Part
of the blame, says Norcross, is the health care system, in which doctors are
measured by their productivity. Older patients typically have more problems
requiring special attention, but that's how Norcross likes it. "The more
complicated people are, the more I enjoy taking care of them," he said.
In a nutshell, that's what being a family practitioner is all about - caring.
It's a quotient that's enabled Norcross to look deeply into the eyes - and
hearts - of many a patient. And maybe even save a life or two. Such was the
case three years ago with a 72-year-old former colleague who came to him "not
feeling right." He knew
she wouldn't come to see him unless something was wrong. Looking into
her eyes, he agreed. A complete history and battery of tests later picked
up a large tumor on her pancreas. It was removed and she's doing fine. "I
know if I didn't have that relationship with her and know her as well
as I did, I wouldn't have thrown myself into that evaluation," said
Norcross, whose role model was an old family physician in Toms River,
N. J., where he grew up.
"He did the whole thing, taking care of me from the time I was born, taking care of old people, delivering babies and even doing occasional surgery," he said. "That's my idea of what a doctor should be.
"I just didn't see being a physician as someone who didn't know how to deliver a baby or look into the ear of a child or assess the function of an elderly person," Norcross said. "Being a physician means you can do all of those disciplines."
In the same tradition, Norcross' residency program has delivered babies
of mothers he himself delivered 25 years ago, and he is in regular touch
with at least 60 percent of the 145 doctors who have gone through the
program since he took over. After 26 years, Norcross, 52, has lost none
of that sense of enthusiasm which he tries to instill in his students. "I
tell them you have to give your patient your best. You have to be alert
and treat your patient like a puzzle. Don't let yourself fall into routines
because they can be dangerous."
Norcross decided to heed his own advice last year when he turned over the reigns of the residency program in family medicine to Dr. Tyson Ikeda, who had been a resident under him. It's allowed him to spend more time with his own practice and further his work with PACE (Physician Assessment and Clinical Education), a program he founded four years ago for physicians with problems.
"Typically, they have made a mistake," he explained. "It may have been detected through malpractice, or a medical board investigated them, or they may be deficient." The PACE program is a remedial measure to get them back on track. While they don't have direct patient responsibility or write prescriptions, they participate in general procedures, such as making rounds, and are incorporated in educational activities.
"We assess their physical health, a neuro-psychological battery of tests, their clinical knowledge and judgment," explained Norcross. After two days, a program that best attacks the specific problem and needs of the physician is adopted. "In most cases, we bring them back into residency education. There's no other program like this in the United States or Canada," he said. Ultimately, what Norcross hopes to do is engender a spark - the same sort of spark that ignited him while still in high school.
"Basically, I thought then that this was the most wonderful thing a person can do with their life, and I still feel that way," he said.


