A taste for the exotic

Dr. Marilyn Pelais is a dedicated general surgeon who has saved countless lives. But, surprisingly, the self-professed shy girl has a hidden adventurous spirit. Recently, the brave mother trekked across the globe with her four young children to a place few have dared to explore – the frigid continent of Antarctica.

Since childhood, the New Orleans native knew that she wanted to become a surgeon. At the tender age of 11, she had the privilege of scrubbing up with a family friend and watching a surgical case. “I was hooked. That was it,” she recalled.

The progeny of a hard-working immigrant father from Greece and a mother from Chicago, Pelais became the first in her family to finish college. She did her parents proud by graduating Magna Cum Laude with honors in biology from Tulane University. Afterwards, she pursued her MD at Tulane University School of Medicine. Pelais then headed north to Cleveland, Ohio for her general surgery residency at Case Western Reserve University. A fellowship in general surgery followed at Ohio State.

In 1994, Pelais entered private practice in general and vascular surgery. During that time, she did some mini-fellowships in cosmetic surgery. “I decided that I wanted to have children, so I needed a little bit more of a stable life,” she explained.

After practicing in Ohio for 15 years, Pelais returned home in 2002 to be near her family. She started with a small cosmetic and general elective surgery practice in New Orleans. At the time, she had four small children, including a set of newborn twins. Her first child, Alex, was born in 1996. Second son Maxi followed in 1998. Electra and Chloe were born in 2002. “It’s a tough balance,” Pelais said. “You cannot have it all at the same time. You kind of have to have it all in one arena, and maybe back off in having it in another arena.”

Now that her children are in school, Pelais’ life load is a little easier. She has a part-time private practice in cosmetic surgery in New Orleans. Since last year, she has practiced general and vascular surgery full-time for HCA at Lakeview Regional Medical Center on the northshore of Lake Ponchartrain along with her partner, Dr. James Christopher. “I like practicing at Lakeview a lot,” she said. “The hospital is great – very efficient and clean. And, the medical staff is excellent.”

Most recently, Pelais served as assistant professor of cell biology and anatomy and assistant professor at the LSU Department of Surgery, as well as assistant clinical professor in surgery at Tulane’s medical school. She continues to work at Tulane, where she participates in resident training and medical student education.

During her tenure at Tulane, Pelais has had several life-changing experiences. One involved on older male patient who suffered a massive heart attack while under the care of another physician. In order to maintain his heart and brain oxygen supply, doctors applied pressors. Eventually, his limbs paid the price. By the time he saw Pelais, he had gangrene in both feet and part of his arm. Amputation seemed to be the only solution.

Pelais decided to try a non-amputative approach to treating the patient’s gangrene. Over a period of six months of intensive wound care treatment, the patient’s daughter, under Pelais’ direction, managed to debride the gangrenous tissue without resulting in any major limb loss. “He’s doing great,” Pelais reported. “He’s walking and has full use of both arms. He’s pretty much rehabilitated. It’s a nice outcome.”

In her rare spare time, Pelais enjoys spending time with her children. She also gardens, plays chess, goes to the opera and reads mysteries and non-fiction.

By far, Pelais’ greatest challenge has been balancing career and family. “It’s been difficult to do a good job of being a mother and also being a surgeon,” she said.

But, when she spends quality time with her kids, she makes it memorable. She enjoys travelling to “bizarre” places with her children – like Antarctica. “It was breathtaking. Gorgeous. It was absolutely phenomenal,” she said. Every summer, they spend about a month in Europe. Recently, the family was able to spend some time in Greece with Pelias’ father and learn about their heritage. “It’s not so bad traveling with little kids,” she said. “The rule is you can’t pack what you can’t carry. So, I don’t check luggage, they carry their little suitcases or backpacks, and we go.”

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