April 2023
Leslie Peard, Pediatric Fellow
Hi Leslie!!! Thank you for taking time away from research to interview with me. Now I know prior to coming to Nashville for fellowship, you were a Kentucky Wildcat Resident - but can you tell us more about where you're from/raised, and your journey to becoming a pediatric urology fellow!?
Hi Viktor!! No problem at all - thank you for taking time away from your busy clinical year. So I know I'm now an avid Wildcat fan, but I really had no connection to Kentucky before residency. I was born and raised in Atlanta, GA and the UGA Bulldogs are my #1.
I went to college in Lexington, VA at Washington and Lee University. W&L actually has a one-month May term and offered a class that included spending a month in Richmond, VA and shadowing different physicians all month. Just so happens the class was run by a Urologist and my first week was shadowing Urology. I was initially not very excited to be honest (I knew nothing about medicine at the time), but I obviously ended up loving it and never found a better specialty than Urology.
I went straight back to Georgia for medical school at the Medical College of Georgia. Some of the other specialties I thought about were pediatrics and plastic surgery, so I guess pediatric urology made perfect sense! I absolutely loved my experience with pediatric urology in residency and by the time my fellowship interviews came around it was obvious (even virtually) that Vanderbilt was the spot for me, so I was thrilled to match here.
That’s awesome! How’s life here in Nashville been for you and your husband? What fun activities have you been doing? Tell us about your dog!
Nashville has been great! Good to be back a little closer to home, and we have some close friends here, so it has been nice to reconnect with them. I've found all my favorite running trails, and on the weekends you can probably find us out at a concert or looking for our new favorite restaurant - the food here is ridiculous. And yes, we have two dogs, a red lab (Gus), and a french bulldog (Campbell) and they are both crazy but very adorable.
I've learned this year that you're an amazing baker (and our team has benefitted a lot from your creations), tell us more about this hobby, and other hobbies you have! (insert picture of your favorite cake creation here)
I may or may not have a problem....I bake a lot of cake. Like so much cake. I've really baked my whole life, but just got into cakes and cake decorating a couple years ago. I actually used to paint some, but it was so time consuming, messy, and no one wanted my amateur paintings on their wall. Cake decorating is an equally fun outlet, but you can just eat it when you're done! You'd be shocked how similar buttercream is to oil paint... I'd say I spend too much time baking to have many other hobbies and keep my job, but I do love to run. I am taking advantage of some daylight in research year and training for my first half marathon.
If you weren't a urologist, what alternative career do you think you would have done/pursued?
I'd open a bakery, obviously.
Now some rapid-fire questions for you:
What is your favorite place in Nashville to...
Get a beer? Monday night brewing (close to my house and such a nice city view outside)
Get a cocktail? Bourbon Steak's sky bar for a view and a classy drink, Chopper for an experience, Butchertown Hall for a margarita (I love margaritas...)
Eat? City House or Answer
Hang out with hubby or friends? Hiking at Percy Warner, Corner Pub to watch basketball
Other questions we want to know are:
Favorite book? Harry Potter (hasn't changed since I was 12)
Favorite movie? Harry Potter (not ashamed), but only 1-5
Favorite sport's team? College Football - UGA bulldogs (#1), College Basketball - KY Wildcats, NFL - Cincinatti Bengals, MLB - Braves (we're in Braves country)
Next bucket list item to fulfill? Make a wedding cake
Dream vacation destination? Maldives
Lastly, what makes this fellowship special for you?
Definitely the people. I could tell from day one the faculty have made such a collaborative environment and all genuinely enjoy working together. It's a place I'm proud to be a small part of.
Thank you for your time Leslie! We loved getting to know you more.
Interview conducted by Viktor Flores, MD