Ari Moskowitz (MS 1999)

A. I primarily work in the intensive care unit caring for patients with critical illnesses including lung and heart failure. This includes a large number of patients with severe coronavirus infection. I am also married to a primary care doctor who is also caring for patients with coronavirus in the outpatient setting, and we have two kids, Asher (4) and Leora (1).


Q. What did you think you wanted to do when you grew up?
A. Growing up I had a lot of ideas about what sort of profession I would have. My parents call these my “phases.” They ranged from waiter, to paleontologist, to pilot, to aeronautical engineer. I did not decide on medicine until I was in college. Ultimately, what drew me to medicine was the opportunity to merge a love of science and a desire to help others (as my mother suggested, I wrote in my college admission essay: a focus on tikkun olam). I was also lucky to have fantastic role models in medicine. My father is an otolaryngologist and my grandfather was an internist.


Q. What was your work like before coronavirus? How has it changed since?
A. The work is the same, the intensity is different. Whereas before coronavirus we managed approximately 70 intensive care unit beds, we now manage well over 100. This comes with substantial administrative challenges. Given that coronavirus is such a new disease, there is also a large emphasis on research and discovery.


Q. What is your day like at work?
A. My time is split between clinical responsibilities and research. When caring for patients in the intensive care unit, I lead a team of junior physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and physical/occupational therapists in the care of very sick patients. When working on research, I focus on severe infections and how we can prevent organ injury during times of physiologic stress.


Q. How did being a student at Schechter Westchester prepare you for where you are now?
A. Being a student at Schechter Westchester helped me hone in on a love of science and study. Being a physician is being a lifelong learner. My experience at Schechter Westchester helped me develop a love of learning.


Q. How do you spend your free time?
A. Free time? With two young kids, and a demanding job there is not much of that to go around!


Q. When and where do you do your best thinking?
A. In the shower. No question.