December 2007 Issue

Docs Who ROCK!

This group practice not only has a catchy name, but the doctors who are part of it also make house calls in pubs and eateries throughout central Ohio. The Columbus physicians/musicians and their band, Spleen, are such a big hit that over the past two years they’ve raised more than $40,000 for the American Heart Association, Make-A-Wish Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

“It’s a blast,” says Peter George, the band’s lead singer, who’s also a cardiologist at Riverside Methodist Hospital. “We have a great time.”

Spleen has a definite medical bent: Keyboard player Dave Zadvinskis is a radiologist, and guitarist Jason Seavolt is a radiation oncologist. Urologist Jeff Carey handles the drums, and Mike Yough, who plays bass, is a Ph.D. student in psychology. Guitarist Kevin Patrick is the only band member who doesn’t practice medicine (he works for CheckFree Corp., an online bill-paying service).

“Co-workers and patients really seem to like it,” George says about the group’s repertoire, an eclectic mix of tunes from the 1960s to the present. “It’s nice for them to see us as real people and know that we have real lives outside of medicine.”

And where did the name Spleen come from? That was Zadvinskis’ idea. He bounced some medical terms off his wife and a friend. A few names were rejected before he struck gold.

“When I got to spleen, the girls loved it,” Zadvinskis says. “I pitched it to the band at the next rehearsal and it stuck. The thing I like about it is it’s medical, but kind of funky. Most people have heard of a spleen so they get the idea it’s a medical band. It’s a fun name without being too intellectual, and short so it fits great on a T-shirt.”

No doubt about it: These are the kind of house calls everyone enjoys.

For more information about the band, visit www.rockwithspleen.com.