Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Margolis.
Ben, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Autopsy pathology is my calling. I realized that probably twenty years ago during forensics training as a resident. The bullet goes in this way and comes out that way…. My mind takes to that kind of analysis. I was the kid who went around the back lot of our Boston apartment smashing open stray rocks to see what was inside. That turned into a Chemistry and Physics degree from Harvard, medical school at the University of Chicago and then a Pathology residency here in Chicago.
That’s the half of it.
The other half, of course, is the emotional side. People think of the field as heavy and depressing. But my focus is really getting families to a place of peace. It might seem paradoxical, but this is one area of medicine where families can feel better. That comes from listening to the family and then compassionately sharing information. Talking through autopsy results helps the family make sense of their loss and their experience. My families tell me all the time they feel at peace. I love that.
On a practical level, I decided to strike out on my own after spending time in a hospital setting doing casework. I wanted to do more. I was doing cases and talking (I think of it as “teaching”) families about their loved one. I was good at it, but wanted to make an impact more broadly in the community.
Now I have a program for high schools called “Live from the Morgue,” a theater event called “The Autopsy Talks,” an organ and tissue donation program for cancer, dementia and other diseases, an App (called Autopsy), and a social media presence with almost 30,000 following us on Facebook. Social media’s taken this year off because we started live streaming (family consent, of course).
It’s autopsy in the 21st century. And I I’m making the most of the field and my creativity. It’s a super exciting time right now — seven years after opening the practice.
Being an entrepreneur has really been a great fit for me. Mostly for the creativity and growth. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Has it been a smooth road?
I was the “new kid on the block” when I started. There weren’t many other “competitors,” but those that were there had been around for many, many years. That means the culture and expectations of autopsy service were set by very few practices. The community was used to a certain style and quality of work. I had to work hard to understand the expectation of our referral base, and teach how we different. When people are used to one way of doing things, there can be resistance to something new. My job was show how different was “better.”
One area my practice that’s really different from other practices is that we focus on the family. We meet before and after the case and see the autopsy as an educational process. It’s really that trusting partnership that leads to closure for the family.
Another is the quality of my work. My reputation is that I’m “thorough.” I’ll get to the bottom of a case, no matter how complex. It’s work to communicate that not all autopsies are the same. The quality can really be different. I know the families can count on what we do for them.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I run Autopsy Center of Chicago. We perform independent autopsies for families in need of closure after losing a loved one. Our focus is bereavement. They typical case is a “medical” death (for example heart attack and stroke). We’re really interested in bring a family to a place of peace after their loss — whether sudden and unexpected or after a long illness or hospitalization.
The things that make me the most proud are things I probably haven’t told most people — that moment on the phone when a wife realizes her children won’t be at risk for the disease that took her husband; a family that learns of a condition they can get treated for; or the son who felt better having told his story.
And then there are bigger things — our Tumor and Tissue donation program has a very strong possibility of making a huge difference for scientific research. We’ve just opened the Chicago Brain Registry. It’s an exciting time for us now.
I’m proud of all our teaching programs. And exploring social media with live streaming has been a thrill ride. Our first live stream hit over a million viewers. That’s been really fun.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago is an excellent place for this business just as it would be for a hospital. There’s a need here and I’m glad I can make my practice available.
I’d recommend starting out here, but being open because Chicago is not all one thing. I’ve learned to view business as forming relationships. Listening to where people are at is the starting point.
Contact Info:
- Address: Autopsy Center of Chicago
444 N. Michigan Ave.
Suite 1200
Chicago, IL 60611 - Website: www.autopsychicago.com
- Phone: 855-8-AUTOPSY
- Email: info@autopsychicago.com
- Facebook: http://www.autopsychicago.com
- Other: theautopsytalks.eventbrite.com; http://www.autopsychicago.com/livefromthemorgue
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