[dropcap sid=”dropcap-1446585320″]F[/dropcap]or many, the medical profession can seem complicated and convoluted, but Dr. Brian Sheets (’89) hopes to dispel that notion.
“All through my training, including pre-med at Baruch, I was always fascinated by how these Greek and Latin medical terms seem so spooky and intimidating,” explains Dr. Sheets, who specializes in Obstetrics/Gynecology. “But often these terms mean exactly what we think they mean—and I love to peel back that mystery.”
That’s precisely what Dr. Sheets does on Give It To Me Straight, Doc, his very own TV show that airs on Cablevision Channel 88 in Connecticut. Each episode, Dr. Sheets chats with medical experts to explore and simplify complex topics, such as genetics, heart health, and endocrinology. And he makes sure to mix in some humor, like hilarious man-on-the-street segments in which he asks Times Square tourists about medical topics.
“We film the show with just two GoPro cameras,” Sheets says. “It’s not an intimidating setup.”
Originally from Detroit, Sheets arrived in Manhattan in his early 20s to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. In between some modeling gigs, he worked odd jobs to make ends meet and eventually enrolled in Baruch to receive a solid undergraduate education.
“If you had tapped me on the shoulder back then and told me I’d one day become a gynecologist,” Sheets jokes, “I would have laughed in your face.”
But the medical profession came calling, and he cites Baruch’s Dr. John H. Wahlert of the Department of Natural Sciences, among other mentors, with having had a major impact on his life. Sheets majored in Biology, leading him later to medical school, a residency at Brooklyn’s Methodist Hospital, and a successful private practice he launched in 1997.
Now, with Give It To Me Straight, Doc, Sheets has come full circle, combining his medical career with his longtime passion for the entertainment industry.
“I’m just blessed to be able to do what I love,” he says. “And I look back to my mentors at Baruch as having really set me on this path.”
Episodes and clips of Dr. Sheets’ show can also be viewed on the YouTube channel Give It To Me Straight, Doc.
– Gregory M. Leporati