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Gorelick and Zheng Join Residency Program

Houston Methodist’s clinical research fellow Daniel Gorelick, MD, MPH, and James Zheng, MD, a graduate of the University of California, San Francisco, (UCSF) School of Medicine have joined the residency program for the Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery. They are the third and fourth residents to join the new program that will grow to 10 residents over the next years.

Daniel Gorelick, MD, MPH

James Zheng, MD

Gorelick has been at Houston Methodist for the past year, having come from George Washington University School of Medicine to be ENT’s first clinical fellow. “The past year definitely opened my mind to many possibilities. I see myself having an academic career and focusing on a specific topic of interest. Right now, I’m interested in so much that I want to find what I’ll be passionate about for the next 30-plus years of my career,” Gorelick said. “Everything is still pretty new to me so the best way to go about it is to learn as much as I can and see what makes me happy throughout the day. What I get passionate about will drive me toward the right career,” he added. This summer, Zheng drove halfway across the country from the San Francisco Bay Area to join Houston Methodist in July. “I had heard great things about the ENT program. Then, during my interview, I was able to speak to every single member of the faculty — which shows how much the program, as a whole, cares. The faculty members individually showed a lot of experience. It’s somewhere I knew I’d receive excellent training for the next five years,” Zheng said. He added that he was used to a large community with a diversity of patients, like Houston, so he wanted to continue his training in another large city. He said he was impressed with how passionate the other doctors are about what they do and how much they care about the ENT program. “I really wanted to go to a program that has room for growth, where I, as a resident, can grow alongside it,” Zheng said. Gorelick said he had never left the Washington, DC, area until he came to Houston and was glad to be welcomed by the kindness of the hospital staff as well as the community. “I’m happy to be here and want to live up to everyone’s expectations.” Like many of the physicians and trainees, Gorelick was “blown away” by the labs at MITIE (Houston Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation & Education). “It’s incredible to have that opportunity for learning in such a technologically advanced setting. Every corner of the hospital has something new and innovative to see.” He said he’s also appreciative of the thought process that’s gone into making patients and families comfortable in the facilities and how the healthcare team is focused on the best possible patient outcomes.

The hospital facilities are the best I’ve ever seen and equipped with state-of-the-art technology; it’s amazing. Everything is designed with patient comfort in mind, so (the patients) are also able to enjoy the nice clinic spaces and inpatient wards during their appointments and recovery.

James Zheng, MD

He said there’s a large focus on quality of life and patient outcomes. “We’re not just looking to get the cancer removed but also at a patient’s ability to go back to how they were before the surgery and the disease. Having the best technology allows us to enhance our treatment.” “It’s an exciting time to be at Houston Methodist.” He said there are new devices and better outcomes. The healthcare team is investigating new questions but also old questions from patients. Everything is data-driven both in the application of medicine and the research to uncover best strategies. Zheng added, “The hospital facilities are the best I’ve ever seen and equipped with state-of-the-art technology; it’s amazing. Everything is designed with patient comfort in mind, so (the patients) are also able to enjoy the nice clinic spaces and inpatient wards during their appointments and recovery.” Both residents also said they feel lucky to have landed in an advanced and diverse community like Houston with its wide-ranging activities, food and culture. Gorelick added that he’s enjoyed the diversity of food in the Houston area and has become a real fan of tacos. He recently had the chance to eat at the original Ninfa’s on Navigation Boulevard. “The original Ninfa’s has such a good reputation, and I’m happy it lived up to my expectations. The food in Houston is amazing.” Zheng said he’s beginning to enjoy barbecue, having experienced the taste for the first time in Houston. “It seemed so salty at first; I felt like I would be getting heart disease right away,” he laughed. Zheng’s first visit was to the space center and then on to museums and to the beach in Galveston. “I was very interested in space and NASA growing up, so it was amazing getting to visit the Houston Space Center,” he said, adding that he’s looking forward to going to all the sports offered in Houston — “football, basketball, baseball, everything.” “Everyone is investing in our learning; it’s wonderful to work with multiple personalities with the breadth of knowledge they have at Methodist. There are very few places like it," Zheng said.