Faculty spotlight - Dr. Trey Wofford

My sailing journey began in January of 2024 when I took leave from my position as Medical Director of UMMC’s adult emergency department and set sail from the Bahamas on a 7-month Caribbean adventure. Fortunately, the recently retired legend that is Jimmy Kolb agreed to fill in for me at work, so I knew that the ED would be in capable hands! The same could not quite be said about my vessel and crew. And since my crew were also my wife and three children, the stakes were very high! Nevertheless, after only a short trial run for some needed experience, we sailed from Nassau and did not look back.

Battling the easterly trade winds for the majority of the trip, we followed what is (un)affectionately known as the “Thorny Path” through the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands and the easier sailing of the Leeward Islands. This route is an island-hopping route taking advantage of temporary reprieves from the 15-20 knots of headwind to slowly push East against prevailing conditions.

Despite the challenges though, we discovered that the path itself was the destination. New experiences occurred every day. We explored some islands so desolate as to be totally off the grid. Yet we also got to visit busy places packed with people living in cultures entirely different from our own. We learned about the stars, became accustomed to the wind on our faces and in our sails, prayed that the tides wouldn’t fall another inch lest we touch bottom, and navigated through tricky waters avoiding dangers seen and unseen. All the while, we grew as a family. We learned together, ate all of our meals together, played cards together to stave off boredom, snorkeled together, argued together, laughed together, and made new and amazing memories together.

Those 7 months are truly some of the most monumental months of my life. I am eternally grateful to UMMC Chair of Emergency Medicine Kendall McKenzie for not only allowing me to make such a journey but being so incredibly supportive of it. Other bosses would have laughed at the idea or perhaps fired me on the spot. But it is a testament to the environment at UMMC and in this department that the leadership wants their employees to have lives and experiences outside of these walls. And I think they know that it is those experiences that can also make us better doctors.