 My name is Tamar Taufik and I'm a neurosurgeon. So neurosurgery actually chose me. While I was in medical school, we have to go through all these rotations where we go through different medical specialties and I remember when I was on my neurosurgical rotation and I saw the brain pulse state and it was like a light bulb went off and I knew that I was destined to become a neurosurgeon. I do general neurosurgery which encompasses trauma, brain tumors. I specialize in complex and minimally invasive spine. In the clinic I spend time with my patients. I listen to my patients. I want them to be welcomed. I want them to feel extremely comfortable with me so that they know that they're in good hands. We're not just going to be doing surgery. We have other options for them. Being a part of someone's life and their most dire needs and their most vulnerable moments is the best part about my profession. Whenever I prep for surgery I always review the patient's history and physical and all the pertinent imaging. Then I map out the surgery in my head and I actually go through the surgery step by step. I'll break down every step of the surgery with my surgical tech and my nurses so that everyone in the room is 100% comfortable in what we're going to achieve. The majority of my patients, they literally are in tears because their chronic pain is completely gone and that is 100% best feeling that I personally have ever felt. When I can tell a patient that their loved one has been saved or their chronic pain that they have been near suicide has been believed, I'm overjoyed with excitement for them and the new life that they're going to be living.