HumAnes of UCLA: Amélie Delaporte, MD
HumAnes of UCLA
Amélie Delaporte, MD
Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellow
Where did you grow up? Tell us a little about your childhood.
I am the oldest sibling of 2 brothers and 2 sisters, and we grew up in France near Paris in a multicultural neighborhood. My friends were all immigrants, and I really enjoyed how that influenced my childhood (music, dance, sharing meals, different religions and traditions). I learned very early on how lucky I was to be born with many privileges and how unfair life could be for some of my friends. We moved to London for a short time and then Belgium. When I was in my 3rd year of medical school in Belgium, my parents went for a one-year backpacking trip around the world with my youngest brothers and sisters and ended up moving to Asia. They opened an NGO called “LP4Y: Life project for Youth”(en.lp4y.org), dedicated to empowering underprivileged youth in Asia.
What inspired you to become an anesthesiologist?
Since I was a little kid, I knew that I wanted to take care of others. I read all the books from Doctors without Borders. Throughout medical school, I was sure that I wanted to be a surgeon, but everything changed for me once I did a rotation in anesthesia in my final year. I ended up rotating in a pediatric ICU, which was an assignment nobody wanted because it was known to be very hard. What started as a bad-luck assignment became my career opportunity thanks to inspiring mentors. I was inspired by this team of cool and confident people with a steady hand and so much manual dexterity. They were able to multitask while remaining calm and nice under pressure.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I love being part of a team. I love knowing that even when everything seems hard (we all have those days where everything seems to go wrong), everyone in the OR woke up with the same objective: making our patients feel safe and doing our best for their safety and recovery. The more experienced I become in my anesthesiology journey, the more I trust that medical knowledge, manuel dexterity, and keeping a cool head are valuable tools I can use to establish trust and instill confidence in the OR team. I also feel extremely privileged and grateful to our patients and family, who give us their complete trust during one of the most vulnerable moments of their life.
Why did you decide to move to Los Angeles?
Life is a big adventure, and it’s up to you to experience and learn as much as you want. My life in Paris was great, and I was working with an extraordinary team of surgeons, CRNAs, and nurses in a small (compared to Ronald Reagan) hospital dedicated to cardiothoracic and vascular surgery patients. We went through COVID waves and complicated surgeries together, so the bond was very strong. It was a difficult decision for me to move, but my husband, also an anesthesiologist, had wanted to come to work at UCLA for many years to continue his research. How can you say “no never” to someone you love?
What are some of the biggest differences between anesthesia in France and the US?
So many small differences and maybe only related to where I was working: phenylephrine use is rare, and we use more norepinephrine. We use a lot more ketamine, IV lidocaine, and clonidine, as well as regional anesthesia to decrease the amount of opioid we use. We don’t have an acute dedicated regional anesthesia team, so each anesthetist does his/her own epidural and block when needed. Also, I have never seen or used IV methadone in the OR in 10 years. Finally, it’s impossible to get a ketamine infusion outside of an academic hospital, and it’s probably harder to get an opioid prescription in France.
What has been the best part of moving to Los Angeles? Anything in France that you really miss?
We really enjoy the warm and sunny climate throughout most of the year, rich culture, and the gorgeous beaches. I also can’t wait for my kids to get a little older and for us to explore the national parks. I am also very impressed by how nice and welcoming people are. I guess what I miss the most about France is my family and friends. Moving far abroad always reminds you of how much you love them.
Have you found the best croissant in LA yet?
I am the oldest sibling of 2 brothers and 2 sisters, and we grew up in France near Paris in a multicultural neighborhood. My friends were all immigrants, and I really enjoyed how that influenced my childhood (music, dance, sharing meals, different religions and traditions). I learned very early on how lucky I was to be born with many privileges and how unfair life could be for some of my friends. We moved to London for a short time and then Belgium. When I was in my 3rd year of medical school in Belgium, my parents went for a one-year backpacking trip around the world with my youngest brothers and sisters and ended up moving to Asia. They opened an NGO called “LP4Y: Life project for Youth”(en.lp4y.org), dedicated to empowering underprivileged youth in Asia.
What inspired you to become an anesthesiologist?
Since I was a little kid, I knew that I wanted to take care of others. I read all the books from Doctors without Borders. Throughout medical school, I was sure that I wanted to be a surgeon, but everything changed for me once I did a rotation in anesthesia in my final year. I ended up rotating in a pediatric ICU, which was an assignment nobody wanted because it was known to be very hard. What started as a bad-luck assignment became my career opportunity thanks to inspiring mentors. I was inspired by this team of cool and confident people with a steady hand and so much manual dexterity. They were able to multitask while remaining calm and nice under pressure.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I love being part of a team. I love knowing that even when everything seems hard (we all have those days where everything seems to go wrong), everyone in the OR woke up with the same objective: making our patients feel safe and doing our best for their safety and recovery. The more experienced I become in my anesthesiology journey, the more I trust that medical knowledge, manuel dexterity, and keeping a cool head are valuable tools I can use to establish trust and instill confidence in the OR team. I also feel extremely privileged and grateful to our patients and family, who give us their complete trust during one of the most vulnerable moments of their life.
Why did you decide to move to Los Angeles?
Life is a big adventure, and it’s up to you to experience and learn as much as you want. My life in Paris was great, and I was working with an extraordinary team of surgeons, CRNAs, and nurses in a small (compared to Ronald Reagan) hospital dedicated to cardiothoracic and vascular surgery patients. We went through COVID waves and complicated surgeries together, so the bond was very strong. It was a difficult decision for me to move, but my husband, also an anesthesiologist, had wanted to come to work at UCLA for many years to continue his research. How can you say “no never” to someone you love?
What are some of the biggest differences between anesthesia in France and the US?
So many small differences and maybe only related to where I was working: phenylephrine use is rare, and we use more norepinephrine. We use a lot more ketamine, IV lidocaine, and clonidine, as well as regional anesthesia to decrease the amount of opioid we use. We don’t have an acute dedicated regional anesthesia team, so each anesthetist does his/her own epidural and block when needed. Also, I have never seen or used IV methadone in the OR in 10 years. Finally, it’s impossible to get a ketamine infusion outside of an academic hospital, and it’s probably harder to get an opioid prescription in France.
What has been the best part of moving to Los Angeles? Anything in France that you really miss?
We really enjoy the warm and sunny climate throughout most of the year, rich culture, and the gorgeous beaches. I also can’t wait for my kids to get a little older and for us to explore the national parks. I am also very impressed by how nice and welcoming people are. I guess what I miss the most about France is my family and friends. Moving far abroad always reminds you of how much you love them.
Have you found the best croissant in LA yet?
Haha very funny! Not yet but I found really good fruit, Mexican food, and Californian wine.
Tell us a little about your family (including any pets).
I am the very proud mother of Louise, 3 and a half years old, and Maxine, nearly 2 years old. They are both starting to understand English very well and to hear them calling us “daddy and mummy” is one of the cutest things I have heard. They already don’t remember much about France, and I am so amazed at how they embrace their new life here.
What do you like to do in your free time?
As a mama working full-time and going back to fellowship as well as having young children, free time whaaat?? As a family, we love to go to the farmer’s market to eat a chocolat croissant and drink fresh orange juice. For myself, I try sometimes to wake up early to do some sport or run, and I love to hike. One of my American dreams is to learn skateboarding and surfing.