Growing up as the son of a revered surgeon, David J. Winchester M.D., F.A.C.S., was pretty sure he would never follow in his father’s footsteps. The young Winchester saw the demands of his father’s profession, which often took him away from the family. He was convinced his professional destiny lie elsewhere.
“We waited for dinner sometimes till 8 or 9 at night,” he recalls. “Our family time was limited so a common routine for my mother was to have dinner waiting for my sisters and I until his arrival. This created conflict for the rest of us, having to balance and adjust homework, mealtime, and sleep routines. There was a little resentment that kind of tempered my enthusiasm for medicine, created in part by hunger.”
But what wasn’t initially clear to Winchester growing up was that he had actually inherited his father’s zeal for medicine and has gone on to become a highly thought of surgical oncologist in his own right at City of Hope® Cancer Center Chicago.
His father, David P. Winchester, M.D., F.A.C.S., former medical director, American College of Surgeons Cancer Programs and retired clinical professor of surgery at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, says he always had a suspicion his son might one day share his passion for surgery.
“I do believe that there are certain traits in my son’s growing-up life that gave me a hint that he would do well in surgery,” the elder Winchester says in a 2021 article in the ACS Bulletin. “He was athletic. He had good hands. He was very thoughtful and smart. And I thought he had the stuff to make a very good surgeon. I didn’t tell him that at the time, but he had all those things.”
In this article, we’ll explore:
If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with cancer and are looking for a second opinion or to discuss your options, call us 24/7 at 877-524-4673.
Dr. Winchester’s Early Years
The younger Winchester was born in Chicago. Due to his father’s military service as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Vietnam, the family moved three times prior to his deployment. After his return from deployment, his father resumed his surgical training in surgical oncology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, leading to their family’s next relocation.
Winchester fondly remembers this time with his family, on a rental property very different from the urban dwellings that he had become accustomed to, replete with a pond, pine groves, horses, bullfrogs, turtles, and snakes,” giving him a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors.
Two moves later, the last just months before starting high school, the family settled in a Northshore suburb of Chicago.
“Moving back and forth and then right before high school was hard,” he says. “That was what I was used to doing, but it affected me socially. I didn't have lifelong childhood friends and upon entering a high school with nearly 3,000 students, I had to start all over again.”
With the family settled once and for all, the teenage Winchester connected with his classmates with a drive to advance academically and in athletics. He excelled in his schoolwork and lettered in football, basketball and lacrosse at New Trier High School. He still considers his teammates some of his best friends.
“I was very focused on setting the stage for my next steps in life. I was fortunate to be able to take advantage of a great education and mentoring from teachers and coaches, some of which have been the most influential in my life.”
Discovering a Passion for Surgery
After high school, Winchester went on to get his Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College, graduating cum laude with a major in chemistry.
“I had to decide what I wanted to do,” he says. “I wasn't sure what I was going to do in college because I had witnessed and indirectly experienced my father's lifestyle, which was very demanding and at time, frustrating as a high school student.”
A strong math and science student, Winchester was gravitating toward the field he had vowed not to pursue.
“I thought about medicine but considered other options, and it became kind of like, I should probably do this,” he says, reflecting more deeply on the positives of his father’s dedication and connection to his patients. Ultimately, he decided to follow his father’s footsteps to Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “My father, I thought, was a great role model. He was so passionate and loved his work.”
Once in medical school, he found himself drawn to surgery, gaining greater appreciation for his father’s commitment to the field. As a student at Northwestern, he also had the opportunity to become acquainted with a very different component of his father’s persona – a surgeon, rotating on his service as a senior medical student. This provided new clarity on why sometimes, dinner has to be on hold.
“In medical school, [surgery] became the obvious choice, admitting that he still was a bit resistant. “I was always fighting to explore other options because I recognized the huge commitment to do what my father had done.”
A Family Connection to Helping Others
As Winchester pursued a career in medicine, he and his father developed a deeper shared connection.
“David and I actually unknowingly became isolated at the dinner table at one end and talked business,” the elder Winchester tells the ACS Bulletin. “I drilled him with questions about general surgery and what he should do, and he answered them. And we sort of were isolated from the rest of the family, but not in a negative way. It just was the way it happened.”
On numerous occasions father and son performed operations together, first in training as a medical student, then as a surgical intern, junior resident, senior resident, and chief resident. After completing his fellowship, also at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the younger Winchester was recruited back to the Northwestern system to join his father as a colleague as an Assistant Professor of Surgery. As time progressed, the roles and responsibilities were reversed but always with respect and collegiality.
David P. Winchester, highly lauded in the profession, is retired now, but father and son continue to bond over their work.
Now, despite his earlier predictions, Winchester has indeed followed in his father’s footsteps and forging his own, prestigious path. He has contributed to more than 135 publications and has earned his own accolades as a groundbreaking surgeon and member of numerous professional organizations, including:
- The Society of Surgical Oncology
- The American Surgical Association
- The executive committee of the American Joint Committee on Cancer
As a member of Health Volunteers Overseas, he has traveled the world to treat cancer patients who might otherwise not been treated and to serve as teacher and mentor to doctors abroad, passing on his — and his father’s — love of medicine to others.
“Cancer patients are the same no matter where you are in the world,” he says. “It's great to help surgeons and patients beyond our borders. It is a privilege to take care of the patients, but creating new knowledge and educating others can impact thousands of patients.”
If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with cancer and are looking for a second opinion or to discuss your options, call us 24/7 at 877-524-4673.