Why did you pursue cardiology?
I was always interested in physiology and understanding how the body works. I trained at Duke University and was influenced by my mentors there, and Duke was one of the first institutions in the world treating patients with heart disease.
They were pioneering the use of catheters in the treatment of coronary heart disease. It was one of the first places in the world that started a program to treat patients with an angioplasty.
To me, that was very interesting and appealing.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Making patients better. I do feel in this field you really do save lives. You can influence a patient and totally alter their outcome.
It’s very gratifying to see how you can affect patients and families. It’s just a very rewarding thing. The research we have done has really helped people on a large scale.
What’s the most difficult?
The most difficult thing probably is having a balance between family life and career. You can get totally immersed and work constantly.
I say that my work is my hobby, because it’s gratifying and fun to go to work. It’s always something new and different.
How did your beliefs influence your decision to become a doctor?
I was educated at Loyola Blakefield, a Jesuit prep school in Towson, and they taught us with the motto “Men for Others.” They put a big value on how to treat your fellow man.
They put a big emphasis on learning and academics, and that was really where the groundwork was laid for me.
That’s where it all happened for me. Science made sense to me, because it’s something that’s measurable and predictable.
What role does faith play in medicine?
I have faith, and I do think if you do have faith in a higher power, it can be a tremendous ally in the care of patients.
For specific patients, faith does play a significant role in their treatment, and we have various services available at the hospital for patients of all different religious beliefs.
If you weren’t a doctor, what would you be doing?
I really love ice hockey (laughs). I probably would have pursued a Ph.D. in biochemistry.
I had a mentor at Johns Hopkins Hospital who said, ‘You ought to think about becoming an MD, because you’ll get a view of the big picture of how to direct your research, and an understanding of physiology that will lead to advances that will help patients.’
