Dr. Andrew Erickson has joined Gifford Medical Center, adding a fourth provider to the hospital’s general surgery team. He most recently worked as a surgeon at a Mid Valley Hospital, a rural community hospital in Omak, Washington; and as a general and acute care surgeon at the Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore, MD.
Born and raised in Seattle, Erickson earned a BS in physics at the University of Washington, where he also competed in national collegiate cycling championships. Before moving on to graduate school, he took a year off to work as a bike messenger in Boston. A physician from one of the city’s larger hospitals was among the avid cyclists he met that year, and he began to consider a career in medicine.
“I felt more social than most physics majors, and I knew I wanted to interact more with people than with particle detectors and telescopes,” he said. “Being a surgeon seemed like a good fit. I enjoy people and the problem-solving involved in fixing bikes and machines—a surgeon helps people by solving problems and fixing things in the body.”
Erickson returned to Seattle, took premed courses, and received a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his general surgery residency was at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, where he gained experience in emergency general surgery, transplantation, and cardiovascular surgery.
Erickson and his wife, Gifford Ob/Gyn Elizabeth Nigrini, have been looking for a small community where they could raise their two young daughters and easily access the hiking, biking, and skiing that the family enjoys. They were drawn to Gifford because they felt the hospital was responding to changing healthcare needs in a thoughtful and proactive way, and offered opportunities to provide service to central Vermont.
Dr. Erickson brings to his work an enthusiasm for minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgery. He likes to partner with his patients, clearly explaining the problem and available options, so that together they can find an approach that works for the patient. To learn more about Gifford’s General Surgery program visit www.giffordmed.org, or call the General Surgery office at 802-728-2430.
