All-doctor band ‘The Central Line’ made up of Phoenix Children’s Hospital doctors

“The Central Line” is made up of six people, and five of them are doctors! The band has evolved into Phoenix Children’s “House Band.” We talked with two of the bands members, Dr. Steve Ozer, an anesthesiologist, and Dr. Greg White, an orthopedic spine surgeon.

The band started in 2014 when Phoenix Children’s Hospital wanted to hold a “Battle of the Bands” fundraiser with an existing all-lawyer band “competing” against an all-doctor band. There was no all-doctor band in place, so a few PCH doctors created one.

They decided to call the band “The Central Line,” a medical term for a large IV catheter. They perform their “Classic Doc Rock” at about four shows a year.

Dr. White began playing bass guitar in 8th grade and gave it up when his medical career started getting serious. He was recruited for an all-doctor band in Arizona.

“We had to get ready for this charity, thinking it was going to be a one-and-done, and then it went so well we just kept it rolling,” Dr. White said.

Next October, it will be the band’s 10th anniversary.

Dr. Ozer started playing guitar when he was nine years old and continued throughout college and medical school.

“When the opportunity came to start playing again, I took it,” Dr. Ozer said.

The band covers songs and plays about four times a year, usually at clubs in Scottsdale, fundraisers or sporting events.

Patients and employees in the hospital like the band a lot, according to Dr. Ozer.

“People will bring their friends who don’t work at the hospital and show up for it. It’s turned into a really nice event for a lot of people to get out of the hospital and see each other,” Dr. Ozer said.

The next show is a fundraiser on January 27, 2024.