Dr. Matthew A. Howard III, Iowa City

Letter to the Editor

For more than 20 years I have had the privilege of caring for Iowans who require neurosurgical treatment. My colleagues and I are also responsible for screening and selecting young doctors who want to become neurosurgeons. This is a stressful and high-risk specialty and it is essential that we select trainees with the appropriate psychological makeup for our line of work. When a mistake is made in the selection process and a person with a dysfunctional personality is allowed to enter the specialty, the results can be disastrous. The screening process is designed to prevent that type of individual from ever entering the field in the first place.

And that brings me to the point of this letter. Like many of you, I have watched Donald Trump’s behavior in the course of the presidential campaign. I am a registered Republican. While I am not a politically active person, in this unusual situation I feel compelled to share my opinion with my fellow Iowans.

Trump clearly and consistently displays narcissistic personality characteristics, and a lack of empathy or respect for others. These are behaviors that we screen for to identify and disqualify dangerous candidates seeking to enter our high-risk profession. In my view, the same screening criteria should be applied when selecting the commander-in-chief of our military.

Trump’s behavior demonstrates that he is psychologically unfit for this immensely important position in our society. In this November’s election, I am compelled to vote for Hillary Clinton. It is the only safe choice.

— Dr. Matthew A. Howard III, Iowa City