A native of South Africa, Dr. Mark Flemmer has had the benefit of a hybrid education. His formative years were spent grappling with the history and physical with minimal laboratory help, but since emigrating to the United States he has had the benefit of the most sophisticated tests and imaging. This dual toolbox has proven useful in unravelling difficult clinical diagnoses and he considers himself lucky to have had a foot in two health care systems. 

Clinical medicine has enormous satisfaction for Dr. Flemmer, who says possibly his greatest strength (and weakness) is not staying in his lane when pursuing a challenging case. EVMS provides an enormous reservoir of arcane diagnoses to be made by internists and gives doctors the resources to help those afflicted. Nowhere has this been more true than in treating hepatitis C, at no cost to the patient, in the free clinic. 

 Dr. Flemmer’s subsidiary interests are learning bedside ultrasound and teaching neurology. His awards mostly have been as a clinician-educator, which he considers a projection on him from the enormously gifted students and residents who have taught him down the decades. Docemus discimus: We teach to learn.