Page 45 - Delaware Medical Journal - March/April 2019

I CN A MS E E MR OE RP OI A R MT
Mustafa Oz, MD
Allen L. Davies, MD
To know my friend Dr. Mustafa Oz is to know the personality of “The Greatest Showman.” He was bigger than life and always animated and enthusiastic. His Turkish ancestry and passionate mannerisms put everyone at ease and immediately made him a fast friend. He was slick and funny and
I arrived in Wilmington in December of 1969, fresh from a tour in Vietnam, to start my practice in thoracic surgery. One would think this was a respite from war and pestilence but it didn’t turn out to be that way — because
another gentleman, Mustafa Oz, was also in
Wilmington and also building his practice in
thoracic surgery. I should note that Mustafa
was born in southern Turkey and I was born

Welsh ancestry. Diverse? Yes, it sure was!
Dr. Oz and I both worked tirelessly, being
on call 24/7. After one year of intense
competition, we decided to combine our
efforts and put our lives back on an even
keel. That decision was made over a bottle of
vodka and a wrestling match that ended with
a broken kitchen table and a partnership. Over
the next 30 years, “Oz and Davies, MDs, PA” was synonymous with thoracic surgery in Wilmington.
We teamed up to do chest surgery in its true sense and were fortunate enough to form an excellent residency in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in conjunction with Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. This was a combined residency that encompassed one year of cardiac surgery at Jefferson and one year of thoracic surgery in Wilmington with Oz and Davies. This residency lasted 20 years and produced 27 residents who passed their American Boards and became Diplomates of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. In typical Dr. Oz fashion, he would often take the residents home for “grilling steaks” and late-night dinners to get to know them better, an activity loved by all.
I believe our practice of thoracic surgery, in all its phases — GI, cardiac pace makers, lung cancer, esophageal disease, vascular thoracic disease, and trauma — helped the Medical Center of Delaware and later Christiana Care forge new frontiers in tertiary care in the state.
Ozzie, as he was known to his friends, loved a party and getting
to know his team. He attended all of the resident conferences
at the Medical Center and was a gifted teacher in the operating room. The operating room was his theater and he was an Oscar- winning performer, much like his famous son, Dr. Mehmet Oz.
One of my favorite memories of Ozzie was of him making a citizen’s arrest on Delaware Avenue in Wilmington. Ozzie was angered by a speeding car and chased the driver down in his 911 Porsche, pulling him over in front of what was then the Bank of Delaware, and handing the offender over to a surprised policeman who happened to be nearby. This was vintage Ozzie!
Maybe one of the secrets of such a long and prosperous relationship was the fact that we never kept track of who did what. We had a common check book and split everything down
the middle, unconditionally. Fun story — both Ozzie and I decided we needed a nursing
many nurses would work best. After thinking about it, we each chose one nurse and paid her double to decrease the confusion and hopefully increase the output, and it did! They also received Friday afternoons off.
We had excellent patient relationships and covered each other’s patients when needed, as well as uplifted and promoted each other with our patients. It got to the point where I thought my patients liked Ozzie and his upbeat personality more than they liked me.
For those football fans out there, our sons — Allen and Mehmet — were teammates in the 1978 Blue Gold all-star football game on the winning side. Both were starters and played great games with solid teamwork. I believe Ozzie and I were both like the boys, helping one another to be on the winning side in our careers together.
The legacy of my friend Ozzie lives on in his children, his residents, and a lifetime of lasting friendships. He was a larger- than-life personality who made others want to be better. He dedicated his life to the practice of medicine and his beloved family. He will be missed!
CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
■ ALLEN L. DAVIES, MD is a retired, board-certified thoracic and general surgeon. He practiced for 35 years (1970-2005) at Christiana Care, where he also served as Chief of Surgery for four years (1992-1996) and served on the board of directors for 13 years. He was a Clinical Professor at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College.
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