Dr. Carla Haack finished high school at 15, college at 19, and medical school at 23 years old. At an age when most students are just beginning med school, Dr. Haack moved from her home in Puerto Rico to Atlanta, Georgia to begin general surgery residency at Emory University.
“My mom is the one who never let it cross my mind that I couldn’t be whatever I wanted to be, that I would achieve whatever it is that I set out to achieve. It didn’t matter that I was a female and a minority and small and brown… it didn’t matter. It wasn’t on my radar. It never occurred to me that it couldn’t happen because she simply never let us entertain the thought.”
Following her residency, Dr. Haack remained at Emory and became a faculty member of the Emory Department of Surgery at the remarkable age of 28. Her career thus far has been marked by numerous awards and accolades, as well as multiple clinical appointments and duties, resulting in a demanding schedule that she balances via incorporation of both yoga and meditation into her daily routine. She serves medical volunteer as well: following Hurricane Irma in 2017, she was the 40th medical provider to arrive in her home land of Puerto Rico, and she has returned nearly ever month since the storm to continue providing medical care for those in need.
photo: Matt Moyer, M ROCK Productions. http://www.mrockproductions.com/stories/#/health-care/.