Doctors Afield features UF faculty member

University of Florida gastroenterologist and jazz musician Dr. James J. Cerda is one of 27 featured physicians in Doctors Afield, a book that portrays doctors pursing other passions such as art, writing, music, spirituality and politics.

In a chapter he wrote for the book, Cerda highlights several acclaimed musician-physicians, including the late violin virtuoso Fritz Kreisler and Albert Schweitzer, the Nobel Prize-winning medical missionary and organist. Cerda also tells the story of how he has integrated the pursuits of music and medicine in his own life. He concludes that the best art and medical science breathe new life into the human experience.

A professor of medicine in the UF College of Medicine, Cerda began playing the piano when he was just 3 years old and was composing by 7. His interest in jazz developed during the 1940s.

Music continued to play a major role in Cerda’s life, including during his service in the Korean War, medical school and on into his professional career. As a pianist, his most memorable individual performances include concerts for presidents Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy. Throughout the years Cerda has performed at numerous benefit concerts.

A founding member of The Docs of Dixieland, Cerda has played for more than 15 years with the local group. The band consists of doctors and “honorary doctors” who play to raise money for medical and musical scholarships at UF.

Cerda joined the UF faculty in 1972. Meanwhile, he continued to serve in the Navy, retiring as a rear admiral in 1990. He currently serves as chief of nutritional support services at Shands at UF.