After 43 years of believing in a single idea, emergency physician Dr. James Wagner is finally putting his lifelong hypothesis to the test. At booth #1635 in the main exhibit hall, Dr. Wagner invites physicians, residents and students to see the results of a journey that began as a medical student in 1982 and continues today, at the age of 66.
Officials said, "In 1982, Dr. Wagner designed his first pendant of the Staff of Asklepios, medicine’s ancient symbol of healing. He believed then - as he does now - that there is a quiet but profound identity shared by all who devote their lives to caring for the sick and injured.
Though life pulled him away, the conviction never left.
"Years later, Dr. Wagner stepped away from medicine to develop a nature resort spanning thousands of acres. Yet medicine haunted his dreams, pulling him back. In 2010, he made the extraordinary decision to sell everything and return to medicine - entering a second residency at the age of 50, followed by a fellowship at Yale. Today, Dr. Wagner still enthusiastically practices medicine fulltime.
"Throughout his journey, Dr. Wagner was shaped by the influence of his late brother, Barry, an emergency physician who exemplified trust, empathy and compassion. Barry’s philosophy was simple: 'Always put the patient first and do anything you can for the patient — except cut off your own arm.'
"Even after Barry’s devastating passing from COVID in 2022, Dr. Wagner continues to practice what his brother preached. Barry’s legacy of dedication and compassion remains central to Dr. Wagner’s belief that medicine is more than a profession - it is an enduring identity shared across generations.
"The centerpiece of Dr. Wagner’s booth is an eight-by-10-foot backdrop that bridges ancient and modern medicine. On one side, Hippocrates and his students in ancient Greece, faces filled with concern for the patient; on the other, women physicians in a modern emergency room, united by the same values. At the center glows the Staff of Asklepios, symbolizing the enduring threads of trust, empathy and compassion.
"The work is also personal: Dr. Wagner’s late brother’s face appears as Hippocrates, his daughters as modern physicians and his wife as the patient. With Dr. Wagner standing beneath the image — his white beard echoing the figure of Hippocrates — the image becomes a mirror of the physician’s 43-year journey and legacy.
"After thousands of hours of training under a dissecting microscope, Dr. Wagner learned to carve intricate designs in wax that are then cast in 14K gold and sterling silver. His one-of-a-kind jewelry, along with symbolic products and drawings from a white board he once created for residents in the trauma center, embody the enduring meaning of medicine today as it was then. Each piece reflects Dr. Wagner’s conviction that caregivers across time and place can recognize themselves in the ancient symbol of Asklepios — a symbol that represents the core values of medicine both 2,500 years ago and today: trust, empathy and compassion.
"Dr. Wagner frames his booth not simply as a showcase, but as an experiment. If his hypothesis proves true - that his colleagues will also identify with the quiet identity symbolized by Asklepios - then his lifelong belief is validated. If not, he will let the idea rest."
“For me, this is a scientific experiment as much as it is a launch,” Dr. Wagner said. “Either way, I need to know the answer, so I can either continue or stop. My hope is that my hypothesis will be validated.”
Visitors to booth #1635 will find not only jewelry, but the story of a physician’s 43-year journey, a tribute to legacy and a chance to reflect on what unites all who practice medicine; represented by an ancient symbol.