Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joseph Dituri. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Joseph, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
My parents were first generation Americans. We lived in Italy for the first few years of my life as my dad wrapped up work in his industry and made the preps to move back to the USA. Overall, my parents both instilled in me the drive to never stop…mom used to say…”who is the guy who told you life was fair?”. This instilled in me from day one reminded me daily that life was never going to be fair and I should work harder and faster and be better because nothing would be handed to me. That drive helped me succeed in what I do ranging from a 28 year career in active duty US Naval service to a PhD in biomedical engineering.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am the assistant Vice President of the University of South Florida for veteran’s clinical research. I got here after 28 years of active-duty service to our US Navy where I was a diving officer with experience in everything from Saturation diving to experimental research. When I retired, I knew I wanted to help military veterans. However, I only had a master’s degree. I had to go back to get a PhD in biomedical engineering to help fix the TBI / PTSD pandemic in our country taking our young men and woman!
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Diversity of thought is imperative. When I teach medical school and engineering, I emphasize that students focus on looking differently at their issues and concerns. I focus their thoughts to change the way they look at solving problems in general but in this case…TBI / PTSD . What we are doing right now does not work so we need to approach it differently. When everyone talks about diversity, they are correct but it is diversity of thought which will aid us in resolving this issue.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Throughout my life I have been blessed with many …what I call…life lessons. “Do not take it personally” is the one that stands out the most. The certainty / reoccurring theme I have is that everything happens for a reason….as I look back on my life, I can clearly see what we have is unique to each of us and we were meant for something. Every purported misstep and each supposed setback ONLY prepared me for my future. Looking back, it is easy to see the path which was seemingly built for me…..but going through it …it is much harder to see the path clearly. “Trust in your path” is my advice and don’t take this missteps personally …they are build and designed to make you grow and thrive to become the “you” that you need to become.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drdeepsea.com
- Instagram: @drdeepsea
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/public/Joe-Dituri/
- Linkedin: Linked In: www.linkedin.com/pub/joseph-dituri/9/978/509
- Twitter: @drdeepsea
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drdeepsea
Image Credits
Joseph Dituri