17 of Our Favorite Doctors on Grey’s Anatomy

16. Preston Burke

As one of the greatest cardiothoracic surgeons around, Preston Burke carried himself with twice the elegance of Derek Shepherd and half the arrogance. Yet, his relationship with Cristina makes it really hard to put him any higher on this list.

Of course, he started off really attentive and did his best to listen to her needs. Whenever he hit a wall with her, he changed course and found another way into her heart. As a heart surgeon, that should be easy for him. But he lived by very strict guidelines, and I respect that the most about him. He never compromised his beliefs or interests unless it was for Cristina. And that all being said, he was still a very kind friend. When he wasn’t competing for Chief of Surgery, he was mentoring George as best as he could. He taught George, let George sleep in his apartment, and even invited George to go out.

While he may have left Cristina at the altar (yeah, he was letting her go, whatever), he did make up for it by giving her a hospital to run. Even if it was all the way in Zurich. He understood that Seattle wasn’t doing enough for her and gave her everything she needed to take the next step in her life. And that’s priceless. Better yet, that’s love.