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Ethan and I swing by Potbelly on his lunch break. On a park bench, he chats about pediatric retinal care, the most interesting things he’s seen happen to eyeballs, the story behind Nice Jewish Runners DC, why it is important to do things you’re bad at, and how he approaches hosting.
Samuel: Hi! You’re in scrubs, and I’m not sure why. What’s going on there?
Ethan: I’m an ophthalmologist, specifically a retina specialist.
Samuel: How’d you get into that? That’s eyeballs, right?
Ethan: Yes, eyeballs. I took a Biology of the Eye class in college. The eye is just fascinating – it’s amazing that it works. Human evolution, and how the structures relate to function, is amazing. And then all the things you can do and the problems you can solve, and interesting diagnostic things that come up…they’re just fascinating to me.
Samuel: What eyeball knowledge are you carrying around that more of us should be thinking about?
Ethan: I’m continually surprised by the random things that can happen to people. People can lose vision for a lot of reasons, even if they didn’t do anything wrong, and a lot of that has to do with the retina. It’s also amazing that we can solve things! We can’t solve everything, but it is pretty incredible.
Samuel: What’s the zaniest thing you’ve seen happen to an eye?
Ethan: Probably the worst injury that can happen to an eye is either an infection or foreign body that’s inside the eye. If there’s a foreign body, it has to be removed. Any trauma can be really tough but also really interesting to deal with, because you have to be very creative.
Every situation is different. It’s surprising what can make its way into the eye. The most interesting one I’ve dealt with is a large metal fragment; someone was hammering something, and this very large fragment, more than half of the width of the eye itself, got in there. It’s amazing that it could stay in there in the first place. And we were able to save that person’s eye!
Samuel: Horrifying, thank you. What brought you to the DMV?
Ethan: I came here for a job. I finished my fellowship training in Atlanta and was looking for jobs. I wanted to be in a big city, and I just vibed with the people at my job. It seemed like a good practice environment. The city seemed nice. I kind of came here on a whim. I didn’t really know anything about DC.
Samuel: What’s kept you here?
Ethan: What’s keeping me here is friends and community. And I love my job. I have a unique niche where I do work with babies and children. Pediatric retina is my sub-interest. I have a unique arrangement here where I can help with premature babies who need retinal care. That’s a unique part of my job, and it is an underserved area of retina, and I’m grateful that I get to do it and live in this great place.
Samuel: What’s your Jewish community like?
Ethan: When I first moved here, I didn’t know anybody, so I just went to random events on my own. I came to some of the Gather happy hours [Editor’s note: Join us at our next Happy Hour on May 12th!]. I did Shabbat Clusters with the EDCJCC. I’ve just slowly met people, and one thing leads to another.
You want to take what is offered in the community, but you need to give back and contribute, too. In the long run, I want to give a little more than I take. So now that I’m more settled here, the Run Club is a good example –
Samuel: Yeah, please tell me about the Run Club! You’re part of Nice Jewish Runners DC.
Ethan: I have to give credit to the people that started it. There’s this guy Tim, who moved to San Diego. This was two years ago, and I was still looking for new things to do. Tim posted about it and I showed up to one of the early runs. I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t a big runner, but I like exercise, and met people, and we all became friends. Tim ended up moving away, and Catherine started leading it. Over time, I’ve played a bigger role in leading the group, and it’s just evolved into this community! It got me into running – having friends to run with, and fitness goals, and consistency. I think Run Club belongs to everyone that’s been involved in it, and I’m just happy to play a part in helping.
Samuel: Run clubs and singles running are having a big cultural moment in the past year or so – why do you think that is?
Ethan: Everyone is looking for community and trying to get offline. Post-Covid, in-person interactions are at a premium, you know? My hot take is: it’s not a dating organization. It’s a way to have friends and community. And if you meet somebody, that’s great! But it’s more of a community thing, and people are hungry for that. And for our club specifically, I think people are looking for a Jewish outlet that’s not religious or political in any way. It’s a safe space to hang out, make friends, socialize, get a coffee. It’s a very low barrier to entry and we’re not competitive. That’s our vibe, and I think that’s why it’s taken off. We now have 20 or 30 people every week.
Samuel: What else is alive for you Jewishly?
Ethan: I like to host dinners a lot. I like to cook and have Shabbat dinners with friends. Shabbat Clusters was a great outlet for that. I like to have people over, and invite people. I always like to invite a couple new people, too, even somebody I meet that’s random or new to town. I’m like: Hey, come over! There’s always space for one more.
Samuel: Okay, a couple quick ones to close. You’re living between Dupont and Logan Circle. What’s something you love about the neighborhood?
Ethan: I can walk to most places that I’m going to go. Anything under 30 minutes, I consider walking.
Samuel: What’s something you’re bad at?
Ethan: As adults, we don’t do enough things that we’re bad at. When you’re a kid, you’re forced to play all the sports, do all the activities. As adults, you just start to do the things you’re good at. So, I’m going to Costa Rica next week. I went surfing one time in the past and was horrible – like, uniquely bad – at it, but I’m planning to take intro surfing lessons.
Samuel: Why is it important to do things we’re bad at?
Ethan: To push your comfort zone. Because you surprise yourself! All the consistency and hard work and discipline pays off over time, and you might end up becoming good at something, or enjoying something, even if you’re not the best at it. You might try something you’re bad at and end up loving it.
Samuel: What are you feeling proud about right now?
Ethan: A year ago, I ran my first half-marathon, and within the last year, I ran my first marathon. The trajectory feels slow week to week, month to month, but over the course of a year, it’s an enormous improvement. My friend Ben really pushed me to do the marathon and really encouraged me. That’s a big part of trying new things, too: having someone to keep you accountable, someone with a good attitude who pushes you. It’s important to bring other people up as you get better at things.
Samuel: You’re hosting Shabbat dinner and can invite three guests. Who are you bringing?
Ethan: My grandpa, for sure. He lives in North Carolina and I don’t get to see him as often as I like. We talk all the time. He was actually supposed to come up to DC, but he’s had some health trouble. So he would be one of them for sure. Honestly, for me, it’s just all about friends and family. It would be my grandfather and friends or family I haven’t seen in a long time.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Ethan: I’m always looking forward to meeting someone new.
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