Dr M.S. interview

How did you get interested in cardiology?

During medical school I felt my attention drawn towards cardiology from the start. I knew this was what I wanted to do, when upon giving a clot busting medication to a patient, which is supposed to stop acute heart attacks, it worked and the patient survived! To become a cardiologist I first had to finish a residency program in internal medicine. I chose a program at Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, CT that was affiliated with the Yale School of Medicine. During my residency I met many wonderful and prominent cardiologists, such as Dr Barry Zaret and Dr. Frans Wacker – fathers of nuclear cardiology, and Dr. Lawrence Cohen, one of the first interventional cardiologists. Their professional achievements further motivated me in wanting to become a cardiologist. With Dr. Cohen’s guidance I applied to a few excellent cardiology programs, and eventually matched to attend the one at University of Chicago. At the time, the University of Chicago was ranked as the 7th medical school in the country, and its Department of Cardiology lead by Dr. Morton Arnsdorf had a very strong research background. While there I had a chance to work with Dr. Glagov, who was the first to describe behavior of the atherosclerotic plaque in arterial remodeling, Dr. Harry Fozzard, a molecular cardiologist, and many others. I was involved in research on elasticity of the peripheral vessels in different hemodynamic conditions. I looked into the effects of aortic stenosis and hypertension on left ventricular hypertrophy. Some of that work was published in the various peer reviewed cardiology journals. While at the University of Chicago I became interested in interventional cardiology, and decided to pursue this career route. This resolution ultimately led me to faculty positions in interventional cardiology at The University of Chicago and Loyola University.

Chicago Forum interview 2003