From the flight path to a path in medicine

You’ve likely heard warnings about curiosity. People often use them to caution others against taking risks to understand the world around them.

For Dr. Thomas Hong, a Sharp-affiliated orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee arthroplasty, curiosity is the very trait that propelled him on his journey from aerospace engineer to orthopedic surgeon.

Dr. Hong has always been fascinated by how things work, especially technology. As a child, he loved attempting to get to the root — or wire — of what made them function.

“I grew up taking things apart, putting them back together and, in general, trying to find new ways to potentially blow myself up — like sticking a 5V DC motor into a wall outlet,” Dr. Hong recalls with a laugh. “I'm quite surprised I made it past childhood, actually.”

This inquisitive nature not only defined his early years but also laid the groundwork for his career. Dr. Hong’s parents, too, played a role in shaping his initial path. “I grew up traveling a bunch between the two of them as they were separated by quite some distance: Pohang, South Korea, and Pleasanton, California,” he says. “This probably led to my obsession with airplanes.”

Merging his curiosity with his passion for aviation, Dr. Hong pursued bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from UC San Diego to help his career take flight.

A ‘break’ in career plans

As an aerospace engineer, Dr. Hong designed and manufactured several unmanned aircraft. He even worked on the prototypes for what he describes as “future air taxis” while working at an aerospace manufacturing company.

Over time, Dr. Hong began to feel that something was missing and sought to make a change. “As much as I liked airplanes, I wanted a job that involved working with my hands more,” he says. “And at the same time, one that allowed me to interact with various people from different walks of life on a day-to-day basis.”

He found himself torn between two possible futures. Did he want to take his aerospace engineering skills to the sky as a pilot in the U.S. Navy or pursue orthopedic surgery?

A friend's injury ultimately led Dr. Hong to a life-changing decision. “After my graduate school classmate broke his ankle and got it fixed by an orthopedic surgeon, he suggested I take a serious look at orthopedic surgery,” he says. “The rest is history.”

To ensure he was making the right choice, Dr. Hong had to take one more step — he confided in his graduate school advisor and mentor at UC San Diego. Without hesitation, his advisor backed his decision to change career paths. “I can't thank him enough for that,” Dr. Hong says.

Crafting a blueprint for exceptional care

Dr. Hong switched into high gear to study and complete the necessary prerequisites to apply to medical school. He attended Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, for four years, followed by a five-year residency in orthopedic surgery.

He then returned to California for fellowship training at Stanford University. There, he specialized in hip and knee replacement before being minted an orthopedic surgeon.

Looking back on his career, Dr. Hong sees parallels between his past life in aerospace engineering and his current life in medicine. “Orthopedic surgery is very similar to the mechanical engineering parts of medicine,” he says. “So, if you understand the mechanics of materials, structures, composites and metallurgy, those concepts show up in orthopedics all the time.”

Now, Dr. Hong diagnoses and treats musculoskeletal conditions at Sharp hospitals, including Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. At Sharp Chula Vista, he sees patients weekly inside The Clinic, featuring state-of-the-art facilities where they receive specialized care and attention from skilled staff.

“I enjoy the very eager and dedicated staff who work beside me in The Clinic,” he says. “They are always aiming to do their best for the patients.”

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