Dr. Pisano knew he could accomplish this in New Jersey through a combined program that sandwiched a graduate
research degree between four years of medical school. When he graduated in May, he was one of a handful of
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School classmates who started medical school at the former University of
Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, which became part of Rutgers in 2013.
Last year, after Dr.
Pisano finished his graduate program and was wrapping up his third year of medical school, the COVID-19
pandemic threatened to derail his progress. He wasn’t sure if he’d still be on track to graduate in May.
“When
the world was collapsing in March or April, I thought, ‘I want to graduate, but if the attendings teaching
me have to go save lives, I’m more than OK with that,’” he says.
As a paraplegic, early on in the
pandemic, he was initially concerned he may be at an increased risk because his respiratory function is not
as strong as an able-bodied person. But he was already exposed living with a physician who works with
respiratory patients—including those with COVID-19—so he accepted the risk that came with working in medical
facilities during the pandemic. He’s taken extra care with his PPE and disinfecting his wheelchair and has
remained healthy.
Dr. Pisano is looking forward to positively impacting his patients’ lives as a
physician and researcher—regardless of whether his work impacts his own injury.
“I’m sure some
people get driven by wanting to be able to walk again. Keeping other things constant, I definitely would
prefer to not have a spinal cord injury,’’ he says. “But, for me, I’m better able to understand patients and
see the limitations of what they can and cannot do with these injuries, and perhaps it gives me a unique
perspective as a researcher. At the end of my career, if I haven’t solved spinal cord injury, I’ll be able
to sleep at night, as long as I have gotten to help other people.”
— A version of this story was published by Rutgers Today