Dr. Morwood plays regularly at the best jazz venues in Monterey and Carmel. He is the host of the late-night jam sessions after the Monterey Jazz Festival at the Hyatt Regency Monterey – the largest hotel on the Monterey Peninsula. His latest recording is “Falling in Love in Monterey” (The San Antonio Ave. South Project).
Dr. Morwood, Professional Working
Jazz Drummer
Dr. David Morwood may have more than 30 years experience as a plastic surgeon, but his musical roots run much deeper. He first got hooked on music when his mother, a night shift nurse, taught him how to use the family’s record player and access their huge record collection. “It was like magic” he says about the first time he dropped a needle on a record and heard music fill the room. Dr. Morwood grew up with seven brothers and sisters; many of them sang and played guitar, and there was a piano in the living room. There was always music in the air, and on Sunday nights, the children had to perform something for the whole family to earn dessert.
Where Music Meets Medicine
He started playing the violin at age 4, began playing bongos at age 5, adding pieces until he had a full drum set, then started playing gigs for money at age 13. He played in the high school jazz band and concert bands, the Vermont Allstate Band, and the All-Eastern Orchestra. While attending the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, he joined the drum and bugle corps, the jazz band, and the choir. His musical career has found him entertaining at the White House, performing the national anthem during a nationally televised NFL game, and together with the iconic Stevie Wonder in a New York studio.
Even when he attended medical school after the Navy, he continued to play jazz gigs to earn tuition money, and at times pondered making music a career. But surgery won out (after starting in pediatrics and trying his hand at internal medicine). He found that plastic surgery hit that sweet spot for him – he actually enjoyed it! “I’m lucky I found something I was good at, I enjoyed, and it didn’t feel like work.” Dr. Morwood finds that his artistic side is cultivated by his dedication to music and only nurtures his perspective and abilities as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon. Part of the reason Dr. Morwood finds plastic surgery so rewarding is because of the need to think simultaneously as a scientist and an artist.
Crafted by Passion, Driven by Purpose
Dr Morwood often remarks that he feels so lucky and blessed to be doing what he loves to do. So often he feels that he has lived the almost perfect day: He gets to operate (“there is nothing like a great case in plastic surgery – it is surgical sculpting in the real sense!”), work out at the gym ( “I’m an elliptical strider addict” ) then play a swingin’ jazz gig or get in a great drum practice session. Dr Morwood’s other passion, traveling, is often combined with his love of operating by taking overseas trips to operate on children with cleft lips and palates as part of a humanitarian mission to developing countries. For over 30 years, Dr Morwood has traveled to many corners of the globe, such as Central and South America, Southeast Asia, China, Africa, and parts of the Middle East on these missions of mercy.
“As long as I get to keep doing what I love doing, I feel I won’t have to work a single day in my life!”
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Dr. David Morwood invites you to take the next step with a private, one-on-one consultation. During your visit, your medical history is reviewed, your concerns are discussed in detail, and your anatomy is evaluated using mirrors, photographs, and 3D imaging. Together, you and the surgeon will explore your options and develop a custom-designed surgical plan. Schedule your private consultation in Monterey today to begin your aesthetic journey.
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