David Margolis is both an eminent pediatric oncologist and a zealous fan of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team. With a little green spray paint, he now combines his two passions. Before every home game in the NBA playoffs, Margolis encourages his young cancer patients to paint his hair the team’s colors. The lighthearted activity takes their mind off the physical toll and isolation of a long hospital stay, allowing them to experience the joy of being kids again. For all his national renown as the director of a transplant and cellular therapy program at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and a professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin, the UW-Madison alumnus is an overgrown kid himself.
From the Judges
“Why the Doctor Has Green Hair” does a fabulous job of tackling a solemn subject through the lens of humor and grace. “Dr. Dave,” a famous pediatric oncologist, has spent most of his career treating children with cancer—and he has done so with a light-hearted manner that has proven to be both effective and touching. From its provocative beginning to its heart-rending ending, this entry works like a charm.
