What are your first impressions of Kingston?

Kingston is more indicative of the “real Jamaica” since I don’t see lots of tourist and resorts.

Were you mayor of Kingston for a day, what Manhattan Beach constructs would you implement?

More seaside places for people to shop, play, and eat.

If you came back to visit The Rock for a little R&R with loved ones, who would they be?

Well, I’m not married, so I would probably bring my mom, just to show her a taste of the Caribbean with “real people” and “real places” versus the mood of “reality escape” that exists at resorts.

How would you compare Kingston to Manhattan Beach or California?

Kingston is a place with an enjoyable vibe of relaxation that you can find in almost all places that are either on islands or (as Manhattan Beach is) close to the coast. They have that in common. Now, if you compare it to California in general, there’s quite a difference. California has 850 miles of coastline, plus some of the hottest deserts in the world, plus 10,000 ft high mountains with world-class ski resorts Jamaica has 620 miles of coastline so maybe not a huge difference there.

You started a new role as a physician executive at Cerner Corporation recently. How is this job different from your emergency medical physician responsibilities?

It’s a non-clinical job. I don’t see patients. Cerner builds electronic health systems and platforms for population health management. I still have a huge impact on the care of patients because I am participating in leveraging the use of technology to improve health-care outcomes in the safest and most cost-effective manner. I still do a few shifts a month in the emergency department, though.

If you were to create a ‘California Beach diet’, similar to the South Beach model, what would be on that meal plan?

Lots of avocados (plentifully grown in California), kale, Pacific-caught fish, and almonds (also a huge California crop).

How often do you work out?

Three days a week.

What’s the typical daily routine for a physician in California?

It varies tremendously depending upon the specialty, and for emergency medicine, there is no such thing as a “typical” day since we have no idea what we will see when we start a shift.

Were you to give up medicine and take on another profession, what would it be?

I would love to be an artist (painting and drawing), not performing.

What phrase/advice do you usually give trauma patients who visit you in the ER?

For trauma patients, I’m rarely giving the advice, but I try to give them and their families as much reassurance as I can that things will be better.

What cologne are you splashing?

I’m not a cologne man – but you don’t need it to smell good!

What are some of the tracks on your iPhone?

Zero! Why, because they’re all on my Android-powered Blackberry Key2. It’s a great phone.

You’ve had over 20 years’ experience in medicine. What do you know now that you wish you knew in the early stages of your career?

The powers of just listening to patients, and simply touching them as you speak to them are underrated and tremendously valuable.

Share three items on your bucket list.

To visit at least 100 countries in my lifetime.

To be truly fluent in another language.

To manage to have a profound impact on improving health care for people who usually lose out due to their socioeconomic status.

Describe your ideal date.

An hour of truly stimulating conversation in a relaxed environment, ideally outdoors with nice music, appetisers, and a view of the ocean (or indoors at a great art gallery).

Follow that up with a session out dancing to multiple genres of music (salsa, reggae, hip-hop).

Finish up the date with a quiet session of “private time” rehashing how much we just enjoyed the date that we went on.

Who’s at the top of your emergency contact list?

Mother, brothers, best friend of almost 40 years.

List three people who inspire you the most. What attributes do they possess that you wish to emulate?

1. My mother. An unstoppable work ethic, insanely organised, long-range planner.

2. My sixth-grade teacher, Miss Lorraine Chrysler (now deceased, bless her heart). An unquenchable desire to teach and learn.

3. Barack Obama. Leadership, pragmatism, a superior ability to clearly see “the big picture” in guiding his decisions, and is the most significant example of what a black person can do, and be, in the history of America, and maybe the world.

What are you most grateful for?

My health.

Relationships with family and friends that really make life worth living.

I am happy.