Dexterity, determination, and dedication are in the gastroenterologist’s skill set.
In high school, Dr. Brett Sleesman (WC ’02) wasn’t an elite video game player, but the hand-eye coordination he developed with a controller has proven useful in his work as a gastroenterologist for Ohio Gastroenterology Group, Inc.
“There’s a lot of dexterity involved when you are using endoscopy tools that are pretty similar to a video game controller,” Sleesman said, somewhat sheepishly.
“My oldest son, Cooper (7), is into the Nintendo Switch. I don’t know if my skills give me an advantage over him, but he still can’t beat me in Mario Kart … yet.”
Sleesman, who lives in Upper Arlington with his wife of 10 years, Audrey, and their three children—Cooper, Sloane (5), and C.J. (3)—said his interest in medicine was shaped by something much deeper than Mario or Luigi.
An early interest in science and math put him on the right path, but observing his father, Craig, an internal medicine specialist, ultimately led him to pursue a career in medicine.
“His work ethic and the way he treated his patients are amazing,” Sleesman said. “He’s still practicing at 78.
“He and I have some of the same patients, and I have never met one who didn’t absolutely love him. I’ve tried to instill many of the things he does with his patients in my own practice.”
Worthington Christian helped foster Sleesman’s love of math and science—even if it meant arriving early. During high school, he came in a half-hour before most of his classmates to take an honors chemistry class.
“That also helped develop my work ethic,” he said. “I thought if I’m going to go into the medical field, maybe I need to do a little more chemistry than the average high school student. If that’s what it takes to reach your goals, then it’s definitely worth it.”
Sleesman said one of the biggest demands of his profession is persistence.
“You have to be willing to roll with some of the bumps along the way,” he said. “I constantly felt like every test was make-or-break.”
He received his bachelor’s degree from Miami University in 2006 and his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Ohio University in 2010. He then completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago (2010–13), followed by a gastroenterology fellowship there from 2013 to 2016.
While at UIC, Sleesman met his future wife, Audrey, a nurse in the intensive care unit. Three weeks after learning he had earned his fellowship in Chicago, the two went on their first date.
“Ten years of training doesn’t prepare you for what it’s like to be in a practice,” he said. “You learn on your own in the first couple of years.
“A lot of it comes at you fast, but you learn how to compartmentalize things. You have to figure out what’s important and what can go on the back burner for a little while.”
Worthington Christian taught Sleesman more than academics.
As a “lifer”—a student who attended Worthington Christian from kindergarten through senior year—he said the school emphasized the importance of deep, lasting friendships.
“How cool is it to still be friends with someone you met in second grade?” Sleesman said. “We always talk about how lucky we are to still be best friends after all these years.”
Sleesman said being a good doctor is much like maintaining a strong friendship. On one hand, you must be honest and direct; on the other, empathetic and supportive.
“When you’re telling someone a diagnosis, you don’t want to dance around it—you want to be straightforward,” he said. “You tell them, ‘We might have something serious here, but we’re going to treat it, and we’re going to get through it.’
“In my field, you’re often the one making the diagnosis, but since many of those conditions don’t go away, you get to manage and treat them over time. You see patients grow and change and build relationships with them over the long term.”