By: Marshall Dahl, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Proust questionnaire: Marshall Dahl, MD
Issue: BCMJ,
vol. 54, No. 6, July August 2012,
Page 314 Proust for Physicians
Dr Dahl is a clinical associate professor in endocrinology at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver General Hospital. He served as president of the BCMA from 2000 to 2001.
What profession might you have pursued, if not for medicine?
Bird-watching field guide tour leader.
Which talent would you most like to have?
High level of skill with a musical instrument.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My wonderful daughter.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
That Zen-like state that comes when sitting quietly after exercise in a scenic, sunny place with no responsibilities.
What is your greatest fear?
Mental incapacity interfering with the ability to practise medicine well.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
The drift from organization to compulsion.
What characteristic do your favorite patients share?
Cheerfulness in the face of adversity.
Which living physician do you most admire?
A candidate: I just met Phillipe Couillard, the neurosurgeon who was Quebec Minister of Health. He gave the best rational review of international health systems that I have heard, and did it with a compassionate, sensible, and philosophic touch.
On what occasion do you lie?
I think that I have lost the ability. It doesn’t feel right now, even for social niceties.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Like, basically, that sort of thing.
Where would you most like to practise?
BC is best. Developing world locums would be interesting and worthwhile.
What technological medical advance do you most anticipate?
The true universal integrated accessible health record.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I just asked my wife. She says it is intellectual curiosity.
What do you most value in your colleagues?
Reliability in patient care.
Who are your favorite writers?
Jane Austen and Kim Stanley Robinson.
What is your favorite activity?
Running.
What is your greatest regret?
Should have been less nerdy and more athletic as a kid.
How would you like to die?
In any fashion that wouldn’t inconvenience my family.
What is your motto?
Hic est Victus (It’s a living).