Driven, focused and dedicated are words that describe Alice Cherqui, MD, neurosurgeon and mother to a 17-month old daughter. It was her drive and focus that got her through rigorous medical training. It is her dedication to not only her patients but her family, as well, that is at the heart of who she is.
“I am very close to my family. My parents moved to Jackson when I started practicing here. My brother is a physicist in Seattle but we visit one another frequently,” said Cherqui. “I was born in Paris, France but moved to Houston, Texas when I was six because my parents were unhappy with the way things were going in France. My mom was a nurse but worked mainly during our time in France. My dad had an art gallery in Houston. We attended an international school throughout our primary education.”
At the University of Houston, Cherqui graduated with a double major in biology and Latin and Greek. “When I was young, I was fixated with medical school. It was where I knew I would end up,” said Cherqui. “In college, the biology was to get in medical school but the other was just for me. I like to stay intellectually challenged and am very independent.”
Cherqui completed her medical school training at the University of Texas Medical Center in Galveston in 2003. “When I got to medical school, I had it in my mind that I would pursue ophthalmology, but really when you enter med school you have no idea what you will like. You just really have to go through it and see what piques your interest,” said Cherqui. “I had more of a surgeon mentality and although surgery was a hard rotation, I loved it. When I got to my neurosurgery rotation, I knew it was for me. I have found that in life you have to dictate what you want and not let someone else try to do that for you.”
Neurosurgery, says Cherqui, is very complex and exercises her mind. “You have to stay current with technology and the latest in the field. It is a challenge and is never boring or routine, which makes the day go by quickly. It fits my type A go-getter type personality very well,” she said. “There is a trade off; there is more call and the residency is long and difficult but I have never felt like it was a job. I feel like this is what I am supposed to be doing with my life. It is good to know I can help people, alleviate pain and at times save their life.”
When it came time for her residency, Cherqui spent her first year in Kansas City at the University of Kansas Medical Center completing the general surgery portion of her residency then transferred to the program at Louisiana State University. For the next six years, Cherqui worked to complete her neurosurgery residency training at the Louisiana Health Science Center in New Orleans. She then completed a one-year complex spine fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. “Training is tough because you have no control over your life,” said Cherqui. “But I just dedicated myself to it and stayed focus on the end result.”
For the next six years, Cherqui worked to complete her neurosurgery residency training at the Louisiana Health Science Center in New Orleans. She then completed a one-year complex spine fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. “Training is tough because you have no control over your life,” said Cherqui. “But I just dedicated myself to it and stayed focused on the end result.”
At the end of her fellowship training in mid 2011, Cherqui started to look for a place to begin her practice, limiting her search to the South. A physician recruiter contacted her regarding a position in Jackson with West Tennessee Neurosciences. “At first I thought I would just talk to them and see what I thought. It sounded like a great opportunity but when I came to visit I was amazed,” said Cherqui. “The hospital offered a level of care you would expect to find in a large city but it was in a small town. It was also close to Memphis and Nashville so I had access to the big city without having to live in the hustle and bustle of the big city. Nobody outside of this place knows what a great gem we have here.”
Having completed a complex spine fellowship allows Cherqui to be what she calls a ‘community’ neurosurgeon. . “The fellowship training allows me to treat the wide spectrum of spinal disorders and assume the vast majority of neurosurgical care in the community,” said Cherqui
With a 17-month year old daughter at home, Cherqui tries to be very efficient at work so that she can be home at a reasonable time each day. “I have a lot of support at home from my family and I chose a great place to work with supportive partners. My call schedule is not crazy and there are hospitalists who can help out when needed,” she said. “I do have to work some weekends but I really do not think I am any different than other women who work; you just have to find balance. I am lucky. I really think I have the best job possible.”
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