Like Father, Like Daughter

As Sarah Houle and Alexis Papavasiliou begin medical school, the childhood friends and daughters of neurosurgeons Paul Houle, MD, and Achilles Papavasiliou, MD, reflect on growing up just miles apart, their shared dream of returning to Cape Cod as physicians, and the family and mentors who shaped their paths.

Sarah & Alexis

For Sarah Houle and Alexis Papavasiliou, Cape Cod Hospital wasn’t just the place where their fathers worked—it was woven into the fabric of their childhood.

Their fathers, Cape Cod Healthcare neurosurgeons Paul Houle, MD, and Achilles Papavasiliou, MD, first met as general surgery interns at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., and have spent the past 22 years as neurosurgical partners at Cape Cod Hospital. Now, Sarah and Alexis are preparing to follow in their footsteps, joining a growing group of physicians’ daughters at Cape Cod Healthcare who are beginning or have recently completed medical school, including the daughters of Craig Cornwall, MD, Nate Rudman, MD, Daniel Gorin, MD, and Stephen Brooks, MD.

For Dr. Houle and Dr. Papavasiliou, watching their daughters choose medicine has been both exciting and humbling.

“I am so proud that she hears the calling,” says Dr. Houle. “Medicine is a fulfilling career, and it is a privilege to take care of people in the community. To see that she feels the same way warms my heart.”

Papavasiliou admits he was nervous about the competitive medical school process. “It’s much harder now than when I applied,” he says. “But Alexis did the work and got in. My advice to her is as long as you pursue a career in something you truly enjoy doing, it will never feel like a job.”

Two Unique Paths to Medicine

Sarah Houle

Sarah Houle

Sarah didn’t initially plan to follow her father’s path. At the University of Alabama, she majored in Human Development and Family Studies with a pre-med concentration in immunology while competing on the equestrian team. Her life revolved around horses—until classes in human development and biology, along with summer jobs in the ER at Cape Cod Hospital, shifted her focus toward medicine.

“I think no matter what I did, my dad would have been proud of me,” says Sarah. “Whether it was going into medicine or riding horses for the rest of my life, as long as I was truly passionate about it.”

At just 18, she began working as a medical scribe, documenting patients’ symptoms and illnesses, shadowing physicians and learning to navigate the fast-paced environment of emergency medicine. Over time, her role expanded to include coordinating orders, keeping teams on schedule, building rapport with ER physicians and becoming a trusted colleague.

“I was hooked from day one,” says Sarah, 25, now in her seventh summer in the ER, who recalls being nicknamed “Baby Houle” when she first started. “In the ER, you see everything—all of the different fields of medicine intertwine and how everyone works for the good of the patient.”

As a medical scribe, she worked alongside Jacob Crowell, MD; Kinsey Leonard, DO; Carl Sigsbee, MD; and Nathan Rudman, MD. But she’s worked the closest with Peter Pillitteri, MD, whom she worked with through COVID and credits him for being a strong mentor and supporter. “He’s like my second dad,” says Sarah. “He’s taught me everything I need to know about emergency medicine.”

This fall, Sarah will attend American University of Antigua College of Medicine, drawn by its global health program and the opportunity to do clinical rotations in the U.S. “I’ve been waiting for this for so long,” she says. “I can’t wait to apply everything I’ve learned here to caring for my own patients.”

Alexis Papavasiliou

Alexis Papavasiliou

Alexis’s path started in the ER as well, working as a scribe for Dr. Cornwall during college summers. She thrived in the variety of cases and hands-on exposure to patient care. Her younger sister, Phoebe, also works in the ER and will continue through the summer before returning to college.

Alexis’s curiosity about medicine eventually extended beyond the ER. Last October, on her birthday, she began working in Cape Cod Hospital’s oncology research department, focusing on biospecimen studies aimed at detecting cancer earlier. “The patients were amazing,” she says. “They were willing to do anything to help with research and bettering the future of medicine.”

She credits mentors like Dr. Cornwall, executive director of oncology Katie Michaud, and oncology research program manager Elizabeth Sampson with shaping her approach to patient care. Along the way, she also developed an interest in pediatrics, inspired by her longtime pediatrician, Kathryn Rudman, MD, who has been both a role model and was also her soccer coach in elementary school.

“Medicine is such a team sport,” says Alexis. “Working in the ER, you can see how everyone has an important role to ensure the patients get the best care possible. It’s the same in research. We are always working together to improve the patient experience.”

A chemistry and molecular biology major at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., Alexis is now starting at UMass Chan Medical School this month. She’s keeping an open mind about specialties but says the blend of clinical care and research will shape her career. “I’ve had incredible mentors here,” she says. “The ER, oncology, research—each has taught me something different about what it means to be a physician.”

A friendship that came first

Their fathers’ shared history goes back several decades. Both completed a year of general surgery before entering neurosurgery residency, and they met as interns at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

They covered long weekends together while on call at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, Vermont, swapping stories and planning their futures. Houle, who had fallen in love with Cape Cod Hospital during a medical school rotation, took a position there first and convinced Papavasiliou to join him a year later.

“We vowed that when we finished our residencies, we would go into practice together,” says Dr. Houle.

Twenty-two years later, they’re still partners. And now, they are proud fathers who are sending the next generation into medicine.

Ready for the next chapter

As Sarah packs for Antigua and Alexis settles into her Worcester apartment, the friends compare notes on orientation dates, study resources and what to expect in the first year. They know their experiences will diverge: different campuses, different rotations, maybe even different specialties, but they share a foundation of mutual support.

“Right before she left, we talked on the phone and told each other how proud we were,” says Sarah. “We’ve been through every step of this process together.”

Wherever their careers take them, both women carry a piece of Cape Cod Hospital with them, including the mentors who taught them, the patients who inspired them and the lifelong friendship that connects their families.

“Ultimately, I want to come back here,” says Sarah. “This is my community.”

“It’s high on my list, too,” says Alexis. “You never know where life will take you—but it would be amazing to practice here someday.”