Home: The Woodlands, TX. Age: 66. Birthplace: New York City. Profession: Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, psychotherapist for adolescents and adults. Organization: Jeremy Orgel, MD, a Professional Corporation. Alma mater: Columbia College; Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; New York University School of Medicine. Languages spoken: English, French, Spanish, basic German.
Recent professional development: Recertified in General Adult Psychiatry by American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Latest contribution to others: Providing my best friend with daily support, as he undergone treatment for a life-threatening illness. What’s been your big (or biggest leap)? Deciding to become a physician, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst. Recent travel or adventure: Volunteered with the Rafiki Village Project in Tanzania. Last book read: In the Country of Men, by Hisham Matar.
Moral compass: Would my conscience be troubled if I were to do it? Would it harm or hurt somebody? How do you define a perfect friendship? Complete, unconditional, and mutual acceptance. How do you define an ideal business relationship? Collaborative, collegial, challenging each other to do better work. What is your greatest joy? Seeing my kids happy and successful. What is your greatest fear? Environmental destruction due to climate change. What natural talent have you neglected? Writing. How do you relieve stress? Birding or spending time in nature, hiking, reading, listening to music. What is your go-to workout? Swimming when the weather is warm, power yoga in winter.
What was your first paying job? Camp counsellor at a nonprofit day camp. What was your favorite college course? Modern British Literature 1870 - 1914. Besides your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your life? My maternal grandfather. What’s the best advice you received in your career? If you do good work, you will be successful. What is your go-to source of creative inspiration? Taking a walk in a beautiful natural setting.
What change would you like to see in the world?
Working harder to fight climate change and income inequality.
What message do you want to send out into the world? Start by loving each other. What widely held belief do you reject? Things happen to people because they are meant to be, and if they don’t happen it is because they aren’t meant to be. What mega-trend most excites you? The revolution in renewable energy. What mega-trend most concerns you? Climate change.
What title would you choose for the movie about your life? Always Curious. What actor would you choose to play you in the movie about your life? Adrien Brody. Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? John Coltrane. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A psychiatrist working for the United Nations. What advice would you give your younger self? Don’t underestimate what you are capable of accomplishing; take more chances and push yourself harder to learn and do things that feel difficult for you. What day in your life would you choose to re-live? Friday, December 13, 2002, when my twin daughters were born. What period in your life would you do differently, if you could? High school and college years.
Personal mission: Using the gifts that I have been given and the skills that I have learned to help make others’ lives better. Favorite quote: “I know that I know nothing” (Socrates).
