Officially, he's William C. Lloyd III, M.D., FACS, but somehow "Dr. Bill" seems more fitting.

You may already know him from his TV appearances.

Discussing topics from the health effects of Hurricane Katrina to child safety issues and how to get a second opinion, Lloyd produces and appears in health segments on CNN. He is also a health and medical content producer for Sirius Satellite Radio and WebMD.

Spend five minutes with him and you'll notice his energetic optimism and good-natured humor. With joint appointments at the School of Medicine in the departments of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, and Pathology, Lloyd enjoys what he calls the best of both worlds.

"I enjoy working with patients in the clinic, helping them solve their problems ,and I am fascinated by pathology and research as well. I'm fortunate that I get to do both," he says with an enthusiasm that conveys sincere gratitude.

Medicine and broadcasting don't necessarily go hand-in-hand, but for Lloyd the fit was perfect.

"I've always been interested in radio. In high school, I announced basketball games and worked at a local station. When I went to West Point, I worked at the radio station there. In fact, it was the top-rated college station in the country at that time."

He even found time to host a classical-music radio show on the local public radio station while he completed his residency training at the University of Texas in San Antonio.

In 1994, with the encouragement of his wife, Mary, he launched M3W Media, a production company that provides health, medical and lifestyle content to radio stations and news syndicates.

Lloyd recalled, "She said, 'You know it's what you really love to do. Why don't you go for it?'"

When a business manager advised Lloyd to expand his content production to television, he started with the NBC affiliate in San Antonio. Other NBC affiliates began to run his segments and before long CNN was calling. Eventually CNN invited him to Atlanta and offered him a weekly segment of his own.

"I usually pitch a couple ideas, they pick one and I take it from there," observed Lloyd. "I like to keep it fresh and while I do provide some talking points to the anchors, I like it when they surprise me — this way, it keeps the dialogue free-flowing and interesting."

Watching Lloyd interact with the CNN hosts, it appears they agree. Affectionately referring to him as Dr. Bill, it's clear that they respect his expertise as well as his animated personality.

For many people, looking into a microscope may not be as exciting as looking into a television camera; not true for Lloyd. His face lights up when he talks about his most recent pathology project.

"Comparative ophthalmology is really compelling. We've recently received flamingo eyes from the Sacramento Zoo."

His smile drops for a moment, "Sadly, one of the zoo's flamingoes died recently, but we're learning a great deal about the makeup of its eyes. They actually have tiny fin-like structures in them. The eye is a goldmine of valuable information."

So is Dr. Bill.

What do you like most about your job?

Every day is something new. I get to combine the trifecta of medicine, clinical care, education and investigative research.

And least?

My office is too cold. I think the air conditioner is broken.

Read any good books lately?

I read the same books over and over. I keep reading The Magic of Thinking Big, by David J. Schwartz, every year and every time I read it I find something new. It's the "vitamin B" shot everyone is looking for.

What's the best gift you ever received?

An annual ski trip at Christmas time. My family got sucked into the conspicuous commerciality of Christmas. Twelve years ago, after a Christmas morning family meltdown, my wife said, "fix it." So I did! We still put up a tree and attend school and church functions, but we don't exchange gifts. We go on a ski vacation.

What are your guilty pleasures?

Every Sunday afternoon — for 24 years — we barbecue hot dogs and make chocolate milk shakes. It's a lethal combination, but we love it. Also, I can't walk away from a TV set if Seinfeld is on.

What have you always wanted to do, but haven't?

Sit still for a week on a beach.

Kelly Gastman is a senior public information representative for the UC Davis Medical Center.