Dr. Travan Jasper and Dr. Travis Jasper have experienced a lot together as identical twin siblings and the brothers' careers are intersecting further as they return to their hometown of Richmond, Virginia, to lead their local hospital's emergency department.
"It's a real honor to have that opportunity to care for people you know and you're close to," Travis Jasper told ABC News.
The twin brothers, now 56, were co-valedictorians at their Richmond high school, before attending the same college and medical school together. They were the first in their family to go to college and pursue medical careers.
They spent years working in various hospitals in Georgia, but took on new roles two months ago as co-medical directors of the emergency department at HCA Healthcare's Chippenham Hospital in Richmond.
According to HCA Healthcare, the Jasper brothers are the only twins currently leading a hospital department in the health system's capital division, which comprises 18 hospitals in Virginia and New Hampshire
"Their unique leadership and shared dedication to advancing patient care make for a remarkable story within HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's leading healthcare networks," the health system said in a statement.
The brothers said they initially didn't return to practice medicine in Richmond because they were nervous about treating people they grew up with. But over the years, they said their fears subsided as they progressed further in their careers.
"One of the things we did when we came back is we called all those people [we grew up with] and said ... 'Look, there's some new sheriffs in town, come to Chippenham if you want excellent care in the emergency department, come to Chippenham because we're going to be a part of it,'" Travis Jasper recalled.
HCA Healthcare's Chippenham Hospital CEO Lance Jones called the Jasper brothers an "asset" to the hospital in a statement to ABC News.
"Their shared commitment to clinical excellence, collaboration and compassionate care reflects our mission to care for and improve human life," Jones said. "By treating every patient with the same attention, respect and support they would want for their own family members, they help ensure our emergency department delivers exceptional care when it matters most."
The brothers said they share patient stories and experiences in the hospital to learn from each other. Outside of the hospital, they are dads to a combined eight children and also work to inspire and support a new generation of kids through their work with a youth basketball organization.
Travis Jasper said he and his brother have always been competitive but supportive of each other and they didn't have any concerns about working together.
"That's always what's been special for me," Travis Jasper said, calling his brother his "superpower." "We've both been very effective directors and leaders at separate hospitals but we both have had the similar thing, that we had each other."
For anyone looking to follow in their footsteps into medicine, Travan Jasper said, "Don't give up. There are lots of ways to get where you want to go."
"Our journey has been a roller coaster ... all of those bumps and hurdles made us where we are today," he continued.
Travis Jasper also reminded young doctors to "never stop caring."
"When I go to see a patient, there's only one objective, and that's to do some good for them," he said. "There's no other objective, there's no money concerns, there's no how we're going to cover this. It's always, I'm here to help you."
