Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Bradford.
Hi Daniel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in Fairborn, Ohio, a town dominated by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. My dad was a civilian employee on the base, which is what took my parents to Ohio in the first place. They met and married in Austin, Texas, where they were both UT students. Fairborn was a great place to be a kid, but not so great to be a queer teen. After graduating high school, I spent a year in Brazil (Londrina, PR) as an exchange student – a gap year of sorts, but also a life-saving escape from the oppression of a conservative military town hostile to my existence (this was the early 90s). After that, I returned to start college at Ohio State. My intention was to pursue veterinary medicine, with the true goal of working with gorillas in zoos. But the times and my own insecurities left me feeling that my goals were unrealistic. I changed majors to focus on skills that might lead me into foreign service. I graduated with degrees in Portuguese and International Studies. It quickly became apparent that being openly gay was a bar to my foreign-service goals. I found myself in an uninspiring, dead-end-for-me job, in Columbus, OH, very much not headed in the direction I envisioned for myself . I was lost. I was actively dating at the time and went out with with a guy who happened to have just started law school at OSU. While not a love connection, that was an important date. This guy was way out of the closet and thriving in grad school. I had considered law and now had living proof that it was possible. I knew that I wanted to live in Texas (my family is multi-generational on both sides) and so I took the LSAT and packed my bags for Austin.
Austin in 1999 was about as magical a place as many could’ve imagined then -accessible, creative, focused on having fun. In short order I met a boy (my husband of nigh 27 years and going), was accepted to UT Law, bought a house, got a dog and kitty.
I graduated law school, went to work for the Texas Attorney General (when Abbott was a moderate), then moved over to work with then-Travis County Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt (now Texas State Senator Eckhardt – she’s just the best by the way), and finally the Travis County Attorney’s Office. It was a solid legal career and a very stable existence. But something was missing. I wasn’t fulfilled and I felt deep down that I was betraying my 10-year-old self who dreamed of caring for gorillas).
So I bought a Camaro – it was awesome (you can take the boy out of Ohio . . . ). It was awesome for a minute, but it did nothing to cure the midlife crisis that I was very clearly going through in the most clichéd fashion. That led to some long discussions with my husband and parents, friends and family who reminded me of who I was and helped me see my capabilities. They helped me see the bold outlines of a new chapter in which I was a medical doctor caring for little Human apes.
Long story short (mind you, this next sentence encapsulates 10 years), I went back to school to take my science pre-reqs, studied very hard to get a good score on my MCAT, attended medical school at UTMB, completed my pediatric residency at UT Dell Medical School (Dell Children’s), and now work as a pediatrician at Austin Regional Clinic.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest struggle for me is always with my “inner-saboteur” (to quote the great Rupaul). The voice insidet head, the ignorant, self-righteous know-it-all anxiety troll that tries to convince you that you you shouldn’t, you can’t, ain’t nobody ever been able to.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a board certified pediatrician working in the outpatient setting. I take care of humans from birth to the onset of adulthood. I have the absolute privilege of guiding parents through the adventure of raising children. I am best known for being the guy who made a drastic career change. My goal is to be known for being the doctor who listens to his patients and provides them sound advice based in the best evidence derived from medical science.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The journey of a thousand miles starts with single step. It is a timeless truth.
Contact Info:
- LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/dcbradford
