About Me — Michael Burg, MD

Joyous & Satisfied

2047, June 21 — Michael Burg died in his sleep today, peacefully.

The exact cause of death is unknown, but Michael had a known tendency to overexert himself while on vacation. He was visiting his son Shawn’s family in the Caribbean where Shawn manages a resort. They’d gone for a swim earlier in the day to celebrate Michael’s birthday and he’d laid down for a nap shortly thereafter.

According to family, Michael was found with a smile on his face.

From June 2021 — when, according to Michael, the world reopened — he had traveled unceasingly. The roster of locations the retired emergency physician had either visited, lived in or worked in ran to over 100. Among his favorites: New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Amsterdam (which he long considered to be his second home), Costa Rica, the Cook Islands, Fiji and Kauai.

“I’ve had a lifetime of nonstop adventures. There’s always another one coming up.” Burg often said as he packed his well-worn backpack for his next trip.

Michael was also known as a writer for Medium. He’d begun writing there in 2019, early on often posting stories based on incidents from his medical career. However he quickly branched out into humor, particularly satirical humor, and many other areas and topics. “I write for joy, community and response primarily. Self-expression and experimentation figure into my writing as well.” Burg is known to have said repeatedly.

His material could go dark, but was often laced with life lessons and advice hidden in his retelling of personal experiences.

In the years between retirement and “reaching equilibrium with the environment, and an inability to maintain cellular gradients,” Michael had collaborated with many other Medium writers to publish collected works of humor, satire and travel stories. He’d also founded the Medium pub “Doctor Funny” https://medium.com/doctor-funny which enjoyed a modicum of success.

After graduating from Yale Medical School in 1987, the newly-minted Dr. Burg entered a grueling emergency medicine residency training program at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, CA. “We called it the ‘Knife and Gun Club’” he’d recount, recalling the 100+ hour work weeks and the endless flood of desperately-ill and injured patients.

From 1990 on, until retirement in 2020, Michael worked in Emergency Medicine, first at Kaiser in West Los Angeles, then at Duke University as a novice faculty member as he reclaimed his academic roots and transitioned to a clinician/teacher and researcher/writer with an interest in the medical humanities. From 2000 forward, Dr. Burg was a UCSF/Fresno faculty member.

Being possessed of a restless spirit, Michael took a sabbatical in 2003–04 to help the Dutch found emergency medicine as a specialty in the Netherlands. During that time he served as the education/residency director at the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis (hospital) in central Amsterdam. During his UCSF/Fresno tenure Michael also found the time to work at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco and Stanford University. Later in his career he founded an emergency medicine residency in Visalia, CA, one of only a few emergency physicians to do so. During his academic career Dr. Burg logged over 130 medical publications, many co-authored with colleagues and emergency medicine residents. He was proud of the fact that he was instrumental in advancing the careers of others with whom he worked.

“Long ago I learned to say ‘yes’ to good things.” he would often say. “I’ve encouraged others to do the same.”

While working full time in Emergency Medicine, Dr. Burg attempted to earn an MFA in Creative Nonfiction but had to withdraw from the program before completion.

“I’ve lived a life largely free of regrets, but the decision to withdraw from the MFA program was one of my biggest disappointments. The only others I can think of, or am willing to voice, not learning to surf or play a musical instrument.” said Burg.

While growing up it was far from clear that Michael would have a medical career, especially one in academia. He was a unfocused mediocre high school student, graduating with a 3.2 grade point average and no plans to do anything but hit the beach. “I B’d it.” Burg said. “A’s were too much work and C’s were too painful to come home with.”

In the eight years following high school graduation, Michael dabbled in a variety of college courses and degree paths, completing none of them. “It was during this time that my father’s hair mysteriously turned from jet black to snowy white, then just as mysteriously, fell out.” Burg recalled, laughing. He also dabbled in a wide variety of other youthful experiences. He was at times a: ballet dancer, restaurant worker, moving man, truck driver and gas station attendant, among others. “I was always up to something, maybe several somethings, but it was never clear what those somethings were or where they might lead.”

Burg also traveled extensively, hitchhiking across the United States for three months as a “long-haired hippie kid, a homeless guy really” at age 18. He later spent three months traveling in Europe. Also during this time he founded and ran a booking agency for rock bands called “Great Bands.” “Our brush with fame, having one of our bands open for Van Halen, just before they hit it big.”

After deciding in his mid-twenties that “I wasn’t using all my brain power” Michael decided to complete a college degree, finally. He was a proud “Anteater” at the University of California, Irvine in its early days, graduating with honors and moving on to medical school. “It’s been downhill ever since.” Burg would say repeatedly, while sporting a huge grin. “Really, it’s been a great career ride.”

Self-described as “happily divorced” Michael’s proudest moments have been as a dad. “You know why divorce is so expensive?” he would often ask expectantly. “Because it’s worth it.”

But the light of his life, his son Shawn. “When Shawn was born and for many years after that we called him ‘the best little mannieeeee on the planet.’ Then as he grew, Shawn became ‘the best medium mannie on the planet.’ Then as a high school student and beyond, and to this day, Shawn is ‘the best big man on the planet.’”

“Shawn is living his own wild life of adventures. He’s traveled all over the world with me. He lived in Amsterdam as a boy, and he’s been everywhere since and done all the things he has wanted to. And, his adventures are just getting started.”

Although there are many other career and life adventures and misadventures I could relate, I’ll stop it here.

There’s so much more to tell … family, immediate career moves, upcoming travels, plans, and life’s forever certainty … the uncertain and the unknown.

Besides, it’s hard for me to talk about myself too much.

It’s so much more interesting for me to find out about others as I wander through life exploring this beautiful place called Earth that we have the privilege of calling home.

If you care to read on, here are a few links to some of my favorites.

Thank you for stopping by and getting to know me a bit.