Dr. Harold Roberts Jr. has been practicing medicine for the past 32 years, and now has another reason to be proud after his daughter decided to follow in his footsteps as a heart surgeon.
His daughter, 33-year-old Dr. Sophia Roberts, has been interested in medicine since she was a young girl. Her father took her to her first operation when she was just 11 years old.
Instead of reading children’s books to her, Harold would read her anatomy books.
Today, Sophia is a general surgery resident physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, where her father is now an associate professor of cardiac surgery.
The father daughter duo recently had an amazing opportunity to perform surgery together, and was able to team up for an aortic valve replacement.
Sophia stepped up to help in place of other doctors who would normally assist in the surgery, due to them being out with COVID-19.
As soon as Harold knew he had the case coming, he told his daughter about it. Even though she’d never seen it or assisted on anything like it, she jumped at the opportunity and dove head first into books, reading about the case.
Sophia was supposed to learn from her father and help him with surgeries back in 2020, but their plans changed when the pandemic hit.
Now it was finally time for Sophia to shine.
During the surgery, Sophia helped open up the patient’s chest, which her dad said she did a great job with.
“It was really very smooth,” Harold told GMA. “I wouldn’t have done the case any better if I had another heart surgeon assisting me.”
Thankfully, the surgery was a success and the patient is doing well.
Sophia says operating with her dad was very special for her and she was thankful for the opportunity. The two of them plan on continuing to collaborate together.
“What can be better? I taught this kid how to ride a bicycle a few decades ago. Now, to get to teach her how to operate on a human heart is pretty mind-blowing,” Harold said.
Sophia will continue her cardiovascular research before going back to surgery in her seven-year residency program at Washington University in St. Louis.
Learn more about their inspiring story in the video below:
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