UCSF’s Catherine Dower

‘When In Doubt, Let Your Horse Figure It Out’

Catherine Dower is the associate director of the UC San Francisco Center for the Health Professions; she conducts research on healthcare workforce challenges. Before participating in a panel on physician shortages in Bakersfield, she revealed in the Zócalo green room that after checking into her hotel that day, she received some seemingly unlikely but potentially sage advice.

Q:

What animal would you want to be?


A:

I always say a deer first but a cat second. I think the cat is more my true animal; a wild cat is fast and smart, and stealthy. And I think they have a sense of humor, too.


Q:

What was the last thing that inspired you?


A:

The little card on the desk in my hotel room that said, “When in doubt let your horse figure it out.” It made me laugh, and I sent a bunch of texts and emails to folks telling them about it.


Q:

What’s your typical lunch?


A:

I love to eat healthy lunches. I would have a bean salad, maybe a little bit of salmon. I like rice, I like lots of vegetables and fruit. Maybe an iced tea with it.


Q:

When did you last visit Bakersfield?


A:

[Laughs.] I was driving through in the middle of the night, and we stopped at a hotel because we couldn’t drive any further. That was the last time I was here.


Q:

What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?


A:

To have children.


Q:

What is your most prized material possession?


A:

That’s a good question. I have some antique prayer books and books of my great-grandmother’s, and that’s probably most prized.


Q:

Do you have any recurring dreams or nightmares?


A:

I have one where I’m flying, and it’s really fun. It’s very exciting—I get to just leap and fly all over the place.


Q:

Who was your childhood hero?


A:

John F. Kennedy.


Q:

If you had one more hour in the day, what would you do with it?


A:

I would split it up in a couple pieces: get a little more sleep and a little more humor—have some more fun.


Q:

What’s your favorite color?


A:

Blue.