Dr. Sean Tubens’ path to becoming an ob/gyn physician was anything but direct.
The Baltimore native joined the U.S. Marines out of high school and spent four years as an aviation electrician working on F18s and serving during Operation Desert Storm.
He returned home to Baltimore unsure what he would do next. The idea of becoming a lawyer or psychologist appealed to him but the years of school seemed daunting. His father was a hairdresser and although his first instinct was “no way,” he took up his father’s trade.
“It ended up being a lot of fun, and I was actually really good at it,” he recalls, noting he worked as a hair stylist for 12 years and even owned his own salon.
And then the unthinkable happened. His parents died. Both of them.
His mother was diagnosed with cancer on Dec. 1, 1996. She died that same month on Dec. 31. His father had a lung transplant that same year. He had pulmonary fibrosis. Despite the transplant, he died on Aug. 31, 1997 – exactly eight months after his spouse.
An only child, Dr. Tubens found himself at a crossroads and asking the question “Am I happy with the direction of my life?”
“I just didn’t feel I was making a contribution to other people in a way I was capable of,” he said.
After years of avoiding school, “I decided maybe I wanted to be a surgeon.”
At age 31, he hired a tutor to get through his college entrance exams. “I had no college experience whatsoever.”
He attended Towson University in his native Baltimore, graduating magna cum laude in just three years while still working full-time at his salon. He was accepted to and attended Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica in the West Indies and New Jersey.
Obstetrics and gynecology wasn’t his first choice when it came to medicine – until he assisted with a birth from beginning to end. “It was from that moment that I realized what an honor and a privilege it is to be involved in this process, and that that was what I wanted to do.”
Dr. Tubens went on to complete his obstetrics and gynecology residency at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Fla., working exclusively on high risk pregnancies and performing gynecologic surgeries. “I love gynecologic surgery, specifically laparoscopic procedures,” he says.
His work at Bayfront earned him recognitions for excellence in laparoscopic surgery, excellence in reproductive endocrinology and as outstanding resident teacher of the year.
When it came time to look for a job, Dr. Tubens looked for a warm and friendly community where he and his wife could settle with their two huskies.
He has found that in Vermont and at Gifford.
“People are so welcoming. They smile. That’s very attractive,” said Dr. Tubens. “We hope we can spend the rest of our lives here.”
He and his wife, physician assistant Susan Post-Tubens, have bought a home in Bethel. They have three grown children and in their free-time enjoy golf, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, travel and reading.
For the region, Dr. Tubens, a physician with a calming demeanor who collaborates with patients to improve quality of life, is a new resource for more complicated pregnancies and surgery. His clinical interests include high-risk pregnancies, office gynecologic procedures as well as gynecologic surgery, especially laparoscopic surgery.
His greatest priority is patient safety and care, notes the physician who is a member of both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. “The most important thing is the patient. That is the number one priority.”
Dr. Tubens is working full-time at Gifford Ob/Gyn & Midwifery in Randolph. Call him at (802) 728-2401.
