Pediatric surgeon Michael G. Caty, MD, understands how frightening it is for parents when their children need surgery. “It’s the most terrifying moment of their lives,” says Dr. Caty.
When talking with nervous parents, the first thing Dr. Caty does is acknowledge their feelings. “I then try to spend a lot of time explaining what I think is going on with their child, and we discuss strategies,” he says. “I assure them that we are in this together.”
Also chief of Pediatric Surgery at Yale Medicine, Dr. Caty is particularly interested in surgery of the trachea and esophagus and reconstruction of complex ano-rectal malformations. “I love the complexity, technicality and challenge of these types of pediatric surgery,” he says. “I became a surgeon because I like that we can intervene and have an immediate impact on a patient’s health. And I’ve always loved children and working with families.”
A father of three, Dr. Caty calls it an “incredible privilege and responsibility” to care for a child—and in many ways, the entire family. “I equally enjoy surgery and seeing patients and families,” says Dr. Caty, who is surgeon-in-chief at Yale New Children’s Hospital. “I love to operate all day long. It’s the most compelling, challenging, and enjoyable thing I can imagine.”
In addition to his clinical and leadership roles, Dr. Caty is a professor of surgery (pediatrics) and of pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine. He has also been repeatedly named to the “Best Doctors in America” list, which represents the top 5 percent of doctors in the country.
