Mason Horne

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russell Sage College Biology and Physical Therapy graduate Mason Horne was a physical therapist at an orthopedic hospital in New York City. 

“We were called upon to help take care of patients with COVID because of the overwhelming numbers of people in the hospital,” he said. “It re-sparked my interest in becoming a physician.”

Horne described how he had originally set his sights on a career in medicine in elementary school, after his father passed away.

“I always imagined myself as a physician,” Horne said, but added, “I didn’t have a lot of guidance on how to make that happen, and I didn’t know any physicians because no one in my family worked in health care.”

“This is something a lot of underrepresented minorities deal with,” he continued. “Diversity in medicine is a major issue which does not seem to be improving despite increased awareness. There’s a great saying, ‘You can’t be what you can’t see,’ and I believe that played a role in me not pursuing the physician route from the start.”

Horne was recruited to Sage for basketball and remains the all-time leading scorer in Sage’s men’s basketball program history. He followed his bachelor’s degree in Biology with a doctorate in Physical Therapy, after becoming familiar with PT as a student-athlete. 

“I enjoyed my time as a PT, but I always felt like I wanted to do something that involved more medical management of patients,” he said. “I just made the decision to go for it.” 

He reached out to Mary Rea, one of his favorite professors and the pre-med advisor at Sage — and even though he’d been out of Sage for a few years, she helped guide him through the medical school application process and wrote a letter of recommendation. 

Today, Horne is a member of Albany Medical College’s Class of 2025.

He also expressed appreciation for Sage professor Stacie Kutz, whose rigorous Biology classes prepared him for both of his doctoral programs, and to Sage men’s basketball coach Brian Barnes, with whom he remains in touch. 

Horne is planning a career in academic plastic and reconstructive surgery. Academic physicians practice medicine in teaching hospitals, and he looks forward to mentoring aspiring physicians. He’s already working to address issues related to diversity and representation in academic medicine as a former president and current member of the mentorship board of AMC’s chapter of Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians — or BNGAP. 

As for plastic surgery, he is drawn to the rapid innovations in the field. He described how earlier this year, a plastic surgeon led the 140-member medical team that performed the world’s first whole-eye transplant. 

“Plastic surgeons are involved in management of conditions literally from head to toe,” he said. “It requires an extensive knowledge of both anatomy and physiology and that’s something I’ve always been passionate about. I’m most interested in extremity reconstruction, focusing on complex wounds and congenital abnormalities, but I’m really open to all aspects.”

He’s thrilled to have just delivered his first presentation at a national plastic surgery conference.

“Since I’ve been back in school a lot of people ask me about my journey and about why I decided to put myself through this process,” he said. “For people who want to make a pivot but are afraid it’s too late or are afraid of the work it will take, never sell yourself short. If you’re truly passionate about something you can find a way to achieve it and don’t be afraid to go for it, because you don’t want to live with the regret of never trying.”