Dr. Timothy Harris still remembers what it felt like to be the youngest surgeon in the room. More than three decades later, he is preparing to walk away as one of the longest-tenured physicians in Emporia.<\/p>\n
With more than 34 years of service as a surgeon in the community, Harris has witnessed significant changes in surgical medicine, the growth of Newman Regional Health and the city itself.<\/p>\n
Now, after decades of serving Emporia, Harris will retire to spend more time with his family. As he leaves Newman Regional Health and the community he has called home since 1991, Harris leaves behind a legacy that stretches from his first interview at the hospital to his final day on Dec. 19.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went from me being the youngster to being the old guy,\u201d Harris said with a laugh as he reflected on his years at the hospital.<\/p>\n
Even before arriving in Emporia, Harris\u2019 career followed a path few physicians experience.<\/p>\n
Originally from Dodge City, Harris attended Pittsburg State University before earning his medical degree in Kirksville, Missouri, and completing a general surgery residency in Tulsa.<\/p>\n
Because the U.S. Navy paid for his medical school, Harris was obligated to serve as a physician in the military. His service included time stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, followed by deployment aboard a ship as the surgeon for a five-ship fleet.<\/p>\n
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Courtesy Photo<\/p>\n
One of the most memorable chapters of his military career came during his deployment to Rota, Spain, where he served as one of only two surgeons on the base.<\/p>\n
While stationed there, Harris treated both American service members and Spanish civilians. Some of his most vivid memories came from treating spectators injured during the annual Running of the Bulls.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey would get lined up in these small streets, and the bull would just turn on you, and you have nowhere to go,\u201d Harris said. \u201cThey would get leg injuries from the horns tearing them up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris spoke positively about his time in the military and said he likely would have stayed longer had it not been for his family. By the time he left the service, he and his wife had three young children, and relocating every few years no longer appealed to them.<\/p>\n
When deciding where to settle after returning to the United States, Harris knew he wanted to return to Kansas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to get back to Kansas,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was nice to be closer to home.\u201d<\/p>\n
While flying a patient with head trauma back to the United States, Harris arranged a stop in Emporia to interview at Newman Regional Health. He was looking for a place to establish roots and raise his family, but his interview nearly fell through amid unexpected circumstances.<\/p>\n
St. Mary\u2019s Hospital, Emporia\u2019s second hospital at the time, closed the same day Harris arrived, forcing Newman to transfer patients and medical records to accommodate the closure.<\/p>\n
Harris said hospital staff initially did not plan to interview him because of the disruption, but he insisted after traveling such a long distance.<\/p>\n
He ultimately began work in an independent practice on 15th Street, operating out of a shared space next to two optometrists. Like many new physicians, Harris faced growing pains as he worked to establish himself, including learning the business and financial side of running a practice.<\/p>\n
Technology was also changing quickly, and Harris recalled hiring a manager who had never used a computer.<\/p>\n
As a brand-new surgeon, it took time to build a patient base. In the meantime, Harris found himself trying to appear busier than he was.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first office had a giant chart rack where you could see it when you walked up to the desk,\u201d Harris said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have any patients yet, so I had them make up some fake charts so it would look like I was busy. I didn\u2019t want patients to walk in and see only four charts.\u201d<\/p>\n
After five years of operating independently, Harris was approached by Newman in 1996 about moving his practice into the hospital\u2019s newly remodeled campus, where his office would be located on the second floor.<\/p>\n
The years that followed were marked by long hours and constant availability. As a solo general surgeon, Harris was essentially always on call, with workdays routinely stretching well beyond 12 hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cI usually came in at six in the morning and got home at six to eight o\u2019clock at night, pretty much five days a week,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As Newman continued to expand, Harris remained closely involved. He joined Newman Medical Partners in the mid-2000s as part of a move toward a multi-specialty clinic model.<\/p>\n
Over time, his role grew beyond the operating room. Harris served multiple terms as medical chief of staff, helped with fundraising efforts such as Denim and Diamonds, and has been director of wound care for more than 15 years.<\/p>\n
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Courtesy Photo<\/p>\n
As younger surgeons joined the medical staff, Harris found himself increasingly in a mentorship role, though he views the learning as mutual.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learn a lot from them,\u201d Harris said. \u201cThey\u2019ll come to me for my experience, but I learn new things.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Courtesy Photo<\/p>\n
As he looks back on his career, it is the relationships \u2014 with colleagues, hospital staff and patients \u2014 that stand out most.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen those patients every week, every other week, some of them for over 10 years,\u201d Harris said. \u201cThey become like part of your family, and then to have to say goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris plans to spend his retirement living at the Lake of the Ozarks, boating, spending time with his wife and watching the Kansas City Chiefs, a team he has held season tickets to since 1991.<\/p>\n
For Harris, the long hours and years of dedication were always rooted in enjoying the work itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you enjoy what you\u2019re doing, you\u2019re going to be good at it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr. Timothy Harris still remembers what it felt like to be the youngest surgeon in the room. More…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361169,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[97,252,253,1493,686,18754,83103],"class_list":{"0":"post-361168","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-care","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-health-care","10":"tag-healthcare","11":"tag-hospital","12":"tag-medicine","13":"tag-patient","14":"tag-surgeon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}