Before attending medical school, Dr. Joshua Tarkoff (HCMBA ’19) aimed for a career as a professional tennis player. “My life was mostly tennis before anything else,” he said. That included playing on the team at Vanderbilt University, where he also majored in economics and chemistry. “I didn't have much of a social life,” Tarkoff said, “but I always wanted to keep my options open. I was realistic in the sense that most people don't play professional athletics.”
Tarkoff competed in small pro tournaments after college, yet realized moving much higher might not be in the cards. Meanwhile, crafting a life of purpose was always in the back of his mind. After earning his medical degree at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, he returned to his native South Florida for residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Serendipity guided Tarkoff to pediatric endocrinology. He thought he had signed up for a rotation in adult endocrinology, the study of hormones and related organs. But when he showed up, the room was full of children. He never looked back. He’d often taught tennis to kids and teens, so it felt like the right fit. He now works with Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists.
“There is not one reason someone struggles with weight. It's a huge challenge. Only about 20% is the medicine, everything else is outside.”
— Joshua Tarko
Obesity and related problems, including diabetes, bring many patients to his office, Tarkoff said. Causes include factors, from genetics, chemical exposure and processed foods to stressful environments and cultural traditions.
“There is not one reason someone struggles with weight,” Tarkoff said. “It's a huge challenge.” And help is multifaceted as well. “Only about 20% is the medicine, everything else is outside,” he said. GLP-1 drugs, such as Wegovy and Ozempic, that are revolutionizing weight loss treatment for adults hold promise for children, he added.
Meanwhile, frustrated with – but curious about – the financial and economic side of healthcare, Tarkoff enrolled in the Healthcare MBA program at FIU Business.
“In medical school you don't get training about how [healthcare] works,” he said. “It allowed me to take a step back from the clinical world I live in and helped me understand the medical system at large.”
Tarkoff has guided colleagues in creating business plans for some of the services his group practice offers. Meanwhile, as medical director of IT at Nicklaus Children’s Health System, he’s putting his various skill sets to work with several projects. One uses artificial intelligence to refine diagnostic language – specifically for his specialty in pediatric endocrinology – that other doctors can use as a tool.
The doctor still keeps fit, running Hyrox races, which include a mix of running and fitness-strength stations, and playing padel, a tennis-squash hybrid now gaining popularity in the U.S.