Dr. Tom Quinn is one of Chester County Hospital's longest-tenured staff members, his son, Dr. Zack Quinn, is one of its newest.
After growing up in Chester County and graduating from the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Zachary Quinn, MD wanted to see more of the country. So he applied to internal medicine programs outside the Greater Philadelphia region and landed in New Orleans at Tulane Medical Center.
Dr. Quinn, a hematologist and medical oncologist, spent the next four years training there, the last as chief resident. He returned to Philadelphia in 2019 for a three-year fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. And last summer, he joined his father, Tom Quinn, MD, at Chester County Hospital.
The elder Dr. Quinn, a radiologist, is one of the hospital's longest-tenured staff members. In the early 2000s, he split his time between the former Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital and Hahnemann Hospital downtown. The instability within the buildings and outside of them wore on him. He was considering a move elsewhere when Fred Squires, MD, a former colleague and Chair of the Department of Radiology at Chester County Hospital, invited Dr. Quinn to interview at the hospital.
Q&A:
How long have you been at Chester County Hospital?
Tom: A little over 20 years.
Zack: A little over seven months.
Zack, what lured you back to Chester County?
Zack: Family was a big reason. We have two little kids, so being close to family is very helpful.
Tom, what’s kept you at Chester County Hospital for all these years?
Tom: When I came here, I was pretty much the only interventional radiologist at the hospital. Still, I felt like I had more room to breathe, which was nice. As a radiologist, I interact with virtually every other specialist in the hospital, so I’ve come to know everyone here, and it’s just a great environment. Good people providing quality care. That’s hard to walk away from.
Tom, what was your reaction when Zack said he was coming to Chester County Hospital?
Tom: It was wonderful news. I mean, all throughout his process of getting to where he is now, I tried not to be too heavy-handed about giving advice. When I was asked, I would obviously give my opinion. But when I graduated from medical school, it was kind of a tumultuous time in medicine. Everyone I trained with was saying, “Why would you want to do this? It’s the end of medicine as we know it.” Obviously, it wasn’t the case. So, I never wanted to be one to impart my baggage on him. I’m just really lucky that his decisions led him here.
You mentioned you interact with just about every specialist in the hospital. Do you two interact at all, professionally?
Tom: Sure, yeah. I’m not here every day. Our section’s grown a lot. We have five interventional radiologists now. He’s not here every day either. But on the days we are, we’ve interacted enough for there to be confusion about which Dr. Quinn they’re trying to get a hold of.
Zack: I often order procedures that are then done by him. And once or twice, it’s been a Dr. Quinn to Dr. Quinn handoff.
Zack, we heard your dad say he’s tried not to be too heavy-handed with his advice through the years. Did he have any influence on your decision to go into medicine?
Zack: Probably more indirectly than directly. It was never like, “Being a doctor’s great. You should do this.” It was more just seeing that that’s what he did and finding medicine to be interesting. I don’t think I always knew I wanted to be a doctor. The path seemed to lead there on its own.
What drew you to hematology and medical oncology, specifically?
Zack: From a science perspective, it’s a really interesting field. It’s where a lot of the research and cutting-edge developments are right now. There’s also the human side of it. I think everyone has a family member or someone they love who’s been touched by cancer. And I’ve felt compelled to help.
Tom, you mentioned the dissuaders when you were coming out of medical school. Were you concerned at all when Zack told you he was applying to medical school?
Tom: No, not at all. Listen, I’ve seen sure bets go sideways so many times. You let people figure it out on their own. I mean, it’s not like he was robbing banks, or something.
What do you feel are Zack’s strongest qualities as a doctor?
Tom: I don’t get to see him be a doctor. We don’t work together in that way. But there was never a doubt in my mind that he would be a quality physician. He’s always had the mentality and intelligence for it. And he’s compassionate, very thorough, and organized. He doesn’t leave loose ends.
Zack, what are your dad’s strongest qualities as a doctor?
Zack: I think all the things he just said about me are probably true for him, too. His reputation is stellar. He’s extremely professional, and he takes every opportunity to help very seriously. That is a standard that I will try to live up to.
Are you two the latest in a long line of doctors?
Tom: No, I have no relatives who were in medicine, going back as far as I can go.
Zack: My wife’s a doctor.
There’s a chance, then, that the three of you may be inspiring the third generation of Quinn doctors at Chester County Hospital.
Zack: We’ll see. I don’t want to push either one of them into it. But if they decide to do it, that would be great.