Rebecca Rose holds son Dylan as Dr. Phillip Jones listens to his heart.
Students debate the diagnosis of a hypothetical emergency room patient.
Oh, why not, says the associate professor of surgery, sinking into a chair and reaching across the table for a brownie. Not every morning begins this way for these medical professionals, but it s nurse Brenda Burson-Catania s birthday, and the day won t pass without a celebration even if they have to squeeze it in at the crack of dawn, just minutes before surgery. Ohio University Professor of Music Richard Syracuse is prepped, out cold and lying on a table in the operating room. He locates Syracuse s hernia, about the size of a small potato, and pushes the tissue back toward the patient s abdominal wall. The doctor takes two mesh plugs, each shaped like a tiny ballerina tutu, and secures the hernia in place.