ory MYSt Michael Banas MD
Orthopedic Surgeon and Author
“
I
was born and raised in Wilkes-Barre and attended the University of Scranton. I can recall Dr. Parente (then dean of the College of Arts and Sciences) addressing our freshman class on a hot August day inside the Long Center. He wore a white, short-sleeved shirt with black tie and looked up above his glasses to say, “If there is one thing you will learn before leaving this University, it will be the ability to write, and write well.” I can recall no other portion of that speech except that it was 1980, and a lot of good things followed at Scranton. In 1983, our basketball team won the Division III NCAA National Championship thanks to great fans, excellent coaching and a cast of talented
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teammates. On campus, I met a fellow pre-med student from New Jersey named Theresa Dubbelman. We went to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine together, got married, lived in New York and Los Angeles, had six children, raised a few dogs and cats, survived the Northridge earthquake and ultimately moved back to Dallas, PA. Currently I am an Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in joint replacements and sports medicine, and I take pride in caring for patients from Northeast PA. I also enjoy reading 19th century Russian literature. After spending six months churning through a Tolstoy classic, I had an idea to pen my own novel. Why not, since I was once promised the ability to write, and write
HappeningsPA.com
well. What followed was a process that was arduous, humbling and at times questionable, yet ultimately rewarding. I have since
authored two works of fiction (“Pennsylvania’s Finest” and “The Center of Excellence”) in the medical mystery category, with both novels simultaneously appearing on Amazon’s Top Ten List of Medical Thrillers this past February. I continue to write, and a third novel is pending, but I have no plans to renounce my Hippocratic Oath. My advice would be to challenge yourself each and every day, both physically and intellectually. Have more than one project in the works, and never be afraid to fail. I believe that everyone has a good novel or idea inside their being– just get it out there. I’m sure we will love it.
”
April 2015