Interview with Dr. Gregory Enns

Dr. Gregory Enns always had a fascination with genetics and profound love for helping children. As a Pediatric Geneticist at the Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital, he is able to help children in need every day by examining their genetic history. Dr. Gregory Enns’ first choice career path was pediatric genetics, and he is currently a biochemical geneticist. He works with chromosomes, chromosomal diseases, inborn errors of metabolism (inherited biochemical disorders), treatments for rare disorders, and a clinical practice seeing patients who have different types of genetic disorders. He hopes to progress in the treatment of genetic disorders.

Dr. Gregory Enns grew up in California, near Los Angeles. He attended the University of St Andrews and the University of Glasgow in Scotland (1990) for Medical School and then did his fellowship at UCSF Medical Center. During Medical School rotations, he discovered “his people” who were other genetics pediatric fellows. Dr. Enns believes that everybody’s experience is different and the paths that people take are all separate. His medical school experience was an adventure that he remembers fondly. However, there were some tough times, including a professor who was not supportive, which was an unusual occurrence in his training. One day, this particular professor told him he had “no right to be a doctor” simply for speaking his opinion in class. Hearing that could’ve crushed his dreams, and that day he even considered quitting medical school. However, Dr. Enns realized that he should stay true to himself, and not let other people’s opinions dictate his future. No one’s opinion mattered as much as his own. If he believed in himself then it didn’t matter who else did or did not. One of his main pieces of advice for me was to always “do me” because no one will “do me better than I will.” Years later, Dr. Enns continues to do the work that he loves.

I think this was one of the most valuable pieces of information I have ever received. When I was talking to a counselor about pursuing a career in medicine, she blatantly said that I could kiss my dream of starting a family goodbye, and exclaimed that she didn’t think I had it in me. I was shocked that someone who barely knew me, had decided that she knew how my future was going to plan out. Hearing Dr. Enns describe that he went through an even worse experience but still came up on top and was able to start and maintain a healthy family, made me feel a lot better about my own future. Doubting myself and my own ambitions simply because of a few unkind words from a counselor was not enough to get in the way of my dream.

As for residency now compared to back then, Dr. Enns remarks that training has become much kinder. There were longer and more rigorous hours back then, and even though residency is still just as hard it has definitely become better. For his genetics residency at UCSF, he did not always have to be on call; instead clinical work and being on call was balanced with lab work which he found interesting. He completed two residencies- one in genetics and one in pediatrics. He did his pediatrics residency in Los Angeles, and he published an article alongside his residency. When asked, Dr. Enns exclaimed that he does not have any regrets. Everything that happened to him, happened for a reason. Every obstacle, every achievement, made him into the man he is today. Although he does believe he could have done it differently, he is happy where he is.

An average day for Dr. Enns consists of clinic half of the day, and inpatient hospital service when he is on call. He also performs various academic tasks, such as administration, research, lab work, experiments, teaching conferences, and clinical conferences. This lasts about four to five hours a day. Along with that, he also reviews articles, teaches medical students, and trains physicians in genetics. As a pediatric geneticist, he has some time on his hands because of his flexible schedule. This helps him carve out time for his family, wife, and kids. Dr. Enns believes that to find a balance between family and work you need to make a conscious effort.

For Dr. Enns, the prize at the end of the day is walking into the clinic and seeing healthy kids. In 2004, many neonates with inherited biochemical disorders were not being tested by an expanded newborn screen, so there was an influx of genetic disorders that could have been prevented but weren’t. Back then, many kids were devastated or handicapped because of their underlying genetic problems, whereas now children are much healthier because of more comprehensive testing at birth. Dr. Enns works with newborn screening to save lives. He wants to be able to “save parents from seeing their kids die.” There is a new challenge every day for him, and he can’t wait to discover and learn more! His advice for me was to stay true to myself because that is what got him through the years. As a doctor, talk to patients and don’t get haughty. Try to keep things as simple as possible. Most of all, do something to help others and pursue that goal.

Dr. Enns is such a kind soul with an overwhelming amount of experience and advice that he gladly passed on to me. He changed the way I look at medicine and helped build up my confidence and strength. Dr. Gregory Enns wants his legacy to be to publish papers to help save kids, and for people to think of him as nice and helpful which he has definitely already accomplished in my eyes.