Doogie Howser

Living... well beyond his years. The 16-year-old lives in Los Angeles with his parents, but during the day he’s a child prodigy resident surgeon at Eastman Medical Center. He has normal teenage friends, and normal doctor mentors, but no one except Doogie really knows what it’s like to balance those two parts of his life.

Profession... surgeon. And that’s in a real hospital with real patients who are really sick. No kid gloves for this child prodigy. But he’s a genius who can handle his tough job. It’s the relatives of his patients who get worried about a child operating on their loved ones.

Interests… trying to live a normal teenage life when he’s anything but. He’d love to sneak in a drink at a party, but doctors on call can’t do that. He’d love to hang out with his best friend, Vinnie, but his bosses at the hospital expect him to work a normal amount of shifts just like everyone else.

Relationship Status...  dating his girlfriend Wanda. She’s a typical high school student and expects Doogie to act the same. But his job makes their relationship difficult to maintain. He works long hours and misses date nights. It’s not all bad, though – when she has pain in her side, he’s able to perform an exam and diagnose her with appendicitis.

Challenge... balancing his life as a normal teenager with his stressful job as surgeon. Most kids don’t pull over on their road test to save a life. But Doogie certainly isn’t like most kids. Not all of his peers understand that he doesn’t only have the worries of your average high school kid ­– he has to worry about keeping his patients alive as well. And it’s tough for a genius to get along with kids who don’t understand.          

Personality... brilliant, curious, desperate to be loved. His parents love him unconditionally, but he feels out of place both at work and with kids his age. But with a genius-level IQ comes a certain level of confidence that gets him through these tough circumstances. Doogie is as driven, considerate and caring as any adult ­– and he proves it every day.