Dr. Derek Moore ‘91, taking a break from his medical practice in Philadelphia, recently visited his parents in Savannah and stopped by the school with his wife Robyn and children Logan (6), Joshua (4) and Taylor Anne (2).
Derek’s parents, Tom and Joy Moore, have owned Savannah’s air conditioning and heating business “The Weather Doctors” for more than thirty years. The youngest of their six children (Derek ’91 and Heather ’92) attended SCPS, and one of their grandchildren, Evan Richardson, will be a 2nd grader at SCPS this year.
“We sent our last two children to Savannah Christian because we wanted them to be ready for college,” says Joy. “Savannah Christian is a great school, and it has been good for our family. I would have dug ditches to keep them there if I had to.”
Derek began his educational journey in Kindergarten at Savannah Christian’s former Isle of Hope campus. He has fond memories of classes, classmates and teachers at all three of the SCPS campuses he attended, including DeRenne Avenue and Chatham Parkway.
“Savannah Christian gave me the fundamentals I needed to succeed,” says Derek. In addition to maintaining honor roll status all four years of high school and winning a number of academic awards, Derek played football throughout high school, ran track for three years, and played soccer for two years. His senior class voted him Most Likely to Succeed.
“Derek has wanted to be a doctor since he was four years old,” Derek’s mother recalls. “When people told him he was dreaming, he just said, ‘Watch me!’”
After high school, Derek attended Vanderbilt University near Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated with a B.S. in Psychology in 1995 and earned his M.D. from Vanderbilt in 1999. He did his Clinical Residency (at least three years of practice and two years of research in broad general surgery) at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center from 1999 to 2006, and served as a Chief Resident during 2005-06. During his residency, he also earned a Masters of Public Health and authored over a dozen scientific articles in the field of general and transplant surgery.
Dr. Moore’s research has been focused on outcomes and public policy relative to the allocation of organs. “There are about 20,000 people on the liver transplant list annually,” he says, “and only about 6,000 transplants are available yearly. Ultimately, about 10-15% of people on the list each year die waiting for a transplant.” His work on models and strategies for organ transplants will help improve organ matching and post-transplant success.
Dr. Moore is currently completing a Fellowship in adult and pediatric liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“I have an amazing job that is very rewarding.”
When asked how he handles the one hundred-plus hour work-weeks, Derek says, “Well, I get bored easily and like to do a lot. My schedule is hard on the family, but I am fortunate to have a wonderful wife who loves and takes care of our family extremely well.”
Robyn is a North Carolina native who also graduated from Vanderbilt. She is a Nurse Practitioner and is currently a full-time mother.
As Derek wraps up seventeen years of post-high school education this next year, he looks forward to continuing to perform transplant surgeries, teaching and research. He is currently interviewing and considering various opportunities around the country.
“With the help of my family, teachers and coaches,” recalls Derek, “I always had the attitude that I could do anything. I have always wanted to go to the next level.”
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