“Grow where you’re planted” is a mantra that guided Dr. Hunter Hewitt during his residency matching process, and it’s clear that he has flourished since being “planted” in Nashville. When he pursued neuroscience for his undergrad degree, he never thought it was his calling until he was drawn in by the excitement of stroke calls. After residency, he will be moving on to a vascular neurology fellowship. In his free time, Dr. Hewitt enjoys cooking, spending time with his sister (who is wrapping up her intern year at Vanderbilt) and significant other, and enjoying some of his favorite Nashville haunts.
Tell us about your background.
I was born in Miami, Florida. I’m Cuban American and grew up in a Cuban household. I did my undergrad at the University of Miami. My bachelor’s degree is in neuroscience, and I also got minors in history and chemistry. From there I went to University of South Florida, Tampa in the select program, which means I did two years in Tampa and two years in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Neurology was my favorite rotation during medical school. Stroke calls were always the most exciting, and when I was on other rotations I always found it most exciting to hear about the neurology aspect of it.
Vanderbilt was my number one match. I had never been to Nashville before, but I liked this place enough that I recommended it to my sister, who is now a neurology intern this year at Vanderbilt. They’re trying to keep us separate so I’m not supervising her, but it is fun to have her in town and spend our time off together.
What initially piqued your interest in neurology?
I went into neuroscience in undergrad, which I ended up hating. It was a lot of basic science that didn't excite me as much. I assumed when I started in medicine I would go into a different specialty. But getting on the wards and seeing the applications of the neuroanatomy that I had learned in undergrad was really exciting. Besides stroke, the other realm of neurology I like is headaches. You can make a lot of quick differences in patients’ lives by helping with a chronic migraine, for example, or doing other treatments with rapid results.
What have been some of the unexpected rewards of residency?
The big thing I wasn’t expecting, but was hoping for, was my co-residents. Starting residency in a completely new place where I didn’t know anyone, I got very lucky with my class, both my year and the years above and below me. Those friendships will be some that I carry with me far beyond residency.
I also met my significant other here in Nashville. She will go with me when I move onto fellowship in Virginia.
What have been some of the challenges of residency so far?
My class of residents was the first to come in during COVID. We went straight from medical school suddenly into lockdown. So there was a new pathology and all the worries that went along with that. (I got sick during my first Christmas break of intern year, which would have been my first time to go home and see my family.) So there was an increased sense of isolation—a new place, I didn’t know anyone, and there was no good way to go home and see my family. That was one of the biggest hurdles.
Also the apartment I wanted wasn’t available for the first two months of living here, so I was bouncing between AirBnB’s throughout all of this!
What do you feel like you learned from this experience?
It was definitely a learning curve–I hit the ground running. More specifically, it puts you on the cutting edge of how you learn to treat something you’ve never seen before. That still comes up in neurology–either encountering a new disease or something so rare you haven’t seen it before. I've also learned to take time off and use it as well as I can.
Another benefit is that now masks don’t bother me so much. My ears have built up calluses!
What are your career plans after residency?
I just matched for a vascular neurology fellowship at the University of Virginia.My plan is to be mostly inpatient, but I’d still like to see general neurology. I like that I can work anywhere with this specialty. Plus there is now added flexibility seeing patients with tele-neurology and tele-stroke.
How do you like to spend your time away from work?
The biggest thing is I really enjoy cooking. I started working on it during medical school buying cookbooks, practicing new techniques etc. It’s something I really pride myself on. Especially as a PGY-2, I would bring extra food that I made to share at the end of my call. Now I’m cooking for my sister to make her life a little bit easier.
Whitewater rafting is something new I developed since moving here. Next month I have a trip lined up to raft on the Ocoee with my significant other and co-residents. I still love fishing and scuba diving, which I became interested in while growing up. Those things are on my list for my next trip south to Florida.
What are some of your favoriteNashville hangouts?
It’s nice when I can get to Attaboys, which is a speakeasy bar downtown. I just discovered Pinewood Social and hope to get back there soon. I live near the Gulch, so usually on weekends I enjoy just walking around and trying different restaurants. Especially if I can get oysters somewhere, that’s really nice.
What’s one piece of advice or mantra that has really helped you along the way?
Before going into residency, the applications and matching process generated a lot of anxiety. During that time I heard the phrase, “Grow where you’re planted,” which is something that really resonated with me. I’ve always liked to garden, and I have a garden on my balcony now. I got that phrase framed in my apartment. It’s about just doing as well as you can in any situation.
What are you looking forward to about your senior year of residency?
Now that I know that I’m leaving town, I want to make a last Nashville bucket list. I’d love to see shows at the Opry and the Ryman, and just do as many true “Nashville” things that I can. I want to spend plenty of time with my sister before I leave. And of course further working on neurology and getting more comfortable before I leave.
