"Patient education is crucial to my practice. I spend most of my face-to-face time with patients discussing signs and symptoms that warrant evaluation," Dr. Egly said. "Patients often seek information online, which can be alarming and lead to unnecessary stress. Effective education ensures patients pay attention to important symptoms to keep their babies safe, and helps avoid unnecessary worry. As a male provider, I rely on my experience and medical knowledge to empathize with and educate my patients, explaining their options and the science behind their conditions and treatments. My goal is to empower patients to choose the safest and best option for their circumstances, particularly in pregnancy management, which involves careful monitoring and decision-making to ensure safety. My passion for medicine started early, encouraged by my grandmother, a scrub nurse since World War II. Despite my love for clinical research, I found lab work too solitary and preferred patient interaction. Medicine's social nature is rewarding, especially when seeing numerous patients daily. My focus on trauma surgery and emergency medicine in medical school exposed me to high-pressure situations, but obstetrics appealed to me for its combination of surgery, emergencies and overall positive outcomes. My fascination with embryology, fetal development and the physiological changes during pregnancy has made me incredibly happy in this field." Dr. Egly is employed as a clinical faculty physician at The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center under the UT Tyler School of Medicine.