Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/1035803
10 t m c » p u l s e | o c t o b e r 2 0 1 8 = Spotlight Q | Many consider you to be a pioneer in the field of echocardiography. What led you to specialize in this area? A | When I was doing my training, my mentor was Miguel Quiñones, M.D. He became my very close colleague. What attracted me to echocar- diography was not only his mentorship, but also because I was able to see the heart in real time with ultrasound, without any invasive procedures. Ultrasound or echocardiography is the imaging portion of seeing the structure and the heart move—ticking and pumping. My major driver is to be able to understand diseases of the heart and vasculature with non-invasive imaging so we can detect disease early and understand how best to manage it. Q | Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. What are some of the biggest challenges Americans are facing? A | If you look back over the past 40 years, the mortality as well as morbidity of heart disease has decreased by 40 percent in the U.S. This is pre- dominantly because of advances in medications, quitting smoking, reducing blood pressure, lifestyle changes and the devices we have now, such as pacemakers and defibrillators. The impact has been tremendous. Cancer is just a very close second and we do hope, and I will be elated, when we are No. 2. But there are trends in this coun- try, unfortunately, that will erode some of these advances and outcomes. If you look at the maps of obesity in the country—and diabetes goes along with obesity—they are scary. If you think about health in the United States, we have one-third obese, one-third overweight and only about 30 percent ideal body weight. This is preventable. Q | How do we improve these dismal statistics? A | The ultimate goal for all of us is increasing longevity coupled with good quality of life. Yes, it is costly, and even now there are a lot of co- morbidities, but I do hope we can engage the population and make patients aware of the importance of preventive and wellness measures. Many people know what is good and what is bad for them, but knowledge is not enough—you need action. How do you stimulate people and engage them to get into healthy behaviors, diets and exercises? I think this is our current challenge. Q | Both of your children work in health care. How do you and your wife feel about them following in your footsteps? A | Roula is our eldest. She works as the director of business operations at Texas Childen's Urgent Care. She has a beautiful daughter, Camila, nearly 2 years old. We get to see her often and volunteer to babysit any time. We also have a son, Anthony, who just finished his psychiatry residency at Columbia University. He married his sweetheart from medical school at Baylor. Specialty Banking for Physicians As a medical professional you dedicate your life to the health of your patients—often at the expense of your own financial well-being. This is where Amegy Bank ® can help. In this ever-changing healthcare industry, we're committed to supporting you with innovative financial instruments, ranging from lines of credit and home and practice financing 1 to the latest treasury management products and solutions-based wealth planning. Personalized service for you, so you can stay focused on your patients. Amegy Bank. Here, you grow. ¹ Loans and some treasury management products and services are subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply. See banker for details. A division of ZB, N.A. Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender NMLS# 467014 Jordan Golson Vice President, Private Banking 815 Walker Street, Suite 1350 Houston, TX 77002 NMLS# 1094641 713.235.8825 | jordan.golson@amegybank.com Contact me to learn more. It really is amazing how influential Houston has been in charting the major devel- opments in cardiovascular disease. It has been an honor to train alongside the giants in medicine.