Dr. Seth Gamradt

How has your Pepperdine experience impacted your personal and professional success?

Pepperdine has impacted my life significantly both personally and professionally. I met my wife, Kelsey, when I was a sophomore and we now have three incredible children. The Pepperdine professors, particularly within the Natural Science Division, believed in me and provided a scholastic foundation to continue my education at an Ivy League medical school and fostered my confidence to succeed in a highly competitive field.

Describe a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career:

The most significant accomplishment of my career is the ability to build trusting relationships with my patients which allows me to provide the best possible care whether it be surgical or non-surgical. I am humbled by their trust and I try to honor that everyday.

Who or what inspires you? Tell us why.

I am inspired by the students and trainees I work with every day. It seems like every year they are smarter and more impressive which challenges me to be the best surgeon, mentor, and educator I can be.

Are you where you thought you would be in life when you were in college?

My goal in college was to go to medical school and to be a successful physician so in that respect, yes.

In five words or fewer, what career or life advice would you give a new college graduate?

Always be grateful.

What profession other than your own would you have liked to attempt?

I would have become a house painter as I grew up painting houses and hanging wall paper with my uncles. There is something very satisfying about that line of work.

What three things could you not live without?

Family, sports, and the outdoors.

How do you unplug?

I unplug by spending time with my family, surfing, beach volleyball, and running.

Is there a particular quote, mantra, or philosophy that motivates you?

Scrawled in marker above the exit in my wrestling room at Robbinsdale Cooper High School, in Minnesota, was a quote that read: "Your opponent is still training." It motivated me then and it still motivates me to continue to learn and grow and never rest on past accomplishments.

What would your autobiography or memoir be called?

I know this is an over 40 list, but it's too soon to be thinking about autobiographies. 

What's one idea you think could change the world?

Mutual tolerance and acceptance of beliefs and ideas.

What's next for you professionally?

I want to continue to refine and advance my surgical technique, improve injury prevention and return-to-play in the athletes I care for, and expand my research goals in these two areas.