Following his graduation from Cornell University, where he played football and lacrosse, Marshall Grode, M.D., enjoyed a brief stint as a professional lacrosse player before beginning his medical training. After medical school, he began a general surgical training program; then later switched gears to become a neurosurgeon. In January, he was appointed Clinical Chief of the newly created Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Grode spent two minutes with us to discuss his unusual career path.

After college, you played professional lacrosse then decided to enter medical school. Why?

Actually, I originally wanted to be a general surgeon but changed my mind after two years of surgical residency at Cornell - Bellevue Division and New York Hospital. It was during the height of the Vietnam War and my deferment was for general surgery, so once I made that decision I was no longer eligible for deferment. I began a two-year tour of duty in the Navy as a medical officer aboard a nuclear missile submarine, the USS James Madison, stationed out of Rota, Spain.

I thought about being a radiologist during that time, but after my tour of duty, I decided to specialize in neurosurgery because I enjoyed the challenges presented by understanding and operating on the nervous system.

How did a native New Yorker like you end up in L.A.?

When I was finishing my neurosurgical residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital's New York Neurological Institute, I had arranged to go to Uganda for two years through the University of London, which had a neurosurgery division in Uganda. But then Idi Amin seized power and began expelling foreigners, so I didn't go.

A friend of mine at Cedars of Lebanon (as the hospital was then called) told me that a senior neurosurgeon here, Dr. Charlie Carton, was looking for a new partner so I came out to Los Angeles to interview with him. I became Charlie's partner in 1972 and had the great pleasure of working with him for many years -- he was one of the most pleasant, knowledgeable and courteous gentlemen I've ever known.

And you never went back to New York?

No, I never even made it back for a visit for the first seven years after I joined Cedars-Sinai! I love it here. I raised my two sons, Joshua and Jason, here and they both live in L.A. Now I have three grandchildren, including twins.

Over the years, you've witnessed a great deal of change at Cedars-Sinai. What's had the biggest impact on you?

The opening of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and the Cedars-Sinai Institute for Spinal Disorders several years ago was a big step for the medical center and, most recently, the establishment of the Department of Neurosurgery has had a major impact. My goals as clinical chief are to support the clinical faculty, and to encourage the expansion of the residency training program in the Neurosurgery Department and the fellowship program at the Institute for Spinal Disorders.

Dr. Grode can be reached at grodem@cshs.org.