HumAnes of UCLA: Colby Tanner, MD

Where did you grow up?
I was born in northern Utah but moved to California at 2 years old. I grew up in Murrieta (located in south Riverside County), where I went through all of my primary schooling. I have lived in California for the vast majority of my life, including for medical school (Loma Linda School of Medicine), residency, and fellowship (both here at UCLA). 

What inspired you to become an anesthesiologist?
I genuinely had no idea what anesthesiologists did until my first week of medical school. We had a brief course that was an introduction to certain medical specialties, and Anesthesiology was one of them. I remember listening to the anesthesiologist explain his day-to-day work, and it sounded really interesting. I then spent the rest of medical school learning more about the specialty. I was especially drawn to perioperative patient care and found the variety in anesthesiology to be very engaging and exciting. I’m very grateful for that course and the anesthesiologist who presented the specialty well. I’ve enjoyed being an anesthesiologist myself much more than I even originally anticipated. 

Why did you choose to do liver transplants? 
I did my first liver transplant as a new CA-1 (shout out to Dr. Nguyen-Buckley for walking me through it very patiently). I was extremely overwhelmed during my first case. Later, during my official 2-week rotation, I found the cases to be much more exciting and challenging in a positive way. The Liver team did a great job of taking me under their wing and mentoring me through the end of residency and fellowship. 

What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I enjoy the team aspect of what we do. I really enjoy developing good working relationships with residents, surgeons, and nurses so that when I come to work, I feel like I’m among friends. I also really enjoy the variety of what we do. I feel like we are involved in nearly everything that’s happening in the hospital. It helps me feel useful and that I’m making a valuable contribution to the health system. 

Rumor has it that you are a professional cyclist moonlighting as an anesthesiologist. Is this true?
LOL, I wish this was true. I could then have sponsors buying my equipment rather than being self-sponsored.... All joking aside, I do enjoy cycling and spend quite a few hours a week training. I mostly prepare for endurance and ultra endurance events. I ride predominantly road and gravel.

What has been your most memorable ride?
I have had the privilege of riding in some pretty amazing places, including the “Going to the Sun” road in Glacier National Park, Yosemite, and all throughout California, Arizona, and Utah. Ultimately, I would say cycling for me is a way to prove that I can push myself well beyond what I perceive to be my limit. I recently completed the 200-mile event at “Unbound Gravel,” which is the largest gravel race in the US and probably the world. I trained for hundreds of hours for this race and had a very successful race. This was a bounce-back race from an attempt the year prior that had ended with a lot of disappointment. (If you have worked with me recently, I’m sure you have heard about this already...) Being able to come back faster and stronger was probably my best cycling moment. 

Tell us a little about your family (including any pets or bikes).
I’m married to my wife Aubrie, and we have 3 kids. Eliza is 11 and starting middle school this year, Truman is 8 and in 3rd grade, and Calvin is 6 and in 1st. We love to travel as a family and do a lot of outdoor activities together. We do have a 3 year-old French Bulldog named Bruno whom my family adores. Bruno and I tolerate each other okay. I embarrassingly have more bikes than pets and family members (you need a different bike for every situation and mood IMO). I’ll spare everyone the details, but I always love to talk bikes, parts, and rides. I also enjoy following friends and our department members on Strava, so find me there if you haven’t already!