Novant Health providers bring to their jobs their medical expertise – and their personal passions. This is the eighth in a series of stories showing how personal blends with professional to improve the lives of patients.

Practicing medicine is a family tradition for Dr. Doug Miyazaki. He remembers developing his passion for surgery alongside his father. While Miyazaki’s friends were out on the town, he spent his free time watching his father operate in the cadaver unit at the University of California at Los Angeles. Today, Miyazaki practices taekwondo to help keep him mentally focused during long surgeries. Here’s his story.