After more than 40 years in medicine, Ami E. Iskandrian, MD, would still choose a career that touches lives

Iskandrian’s life is a combination of medicine, teaching, mentoring and a passion for the fine arts.

Over the course of a distinguished career that began in 1965, Ami E. Iskandrian, MD, has strived to keep his mind active and to make lasting differences in the lives of his patients, students and colleagues.

Iskandrian received his medical degree from the University of Baghdad and moved to Philadelphia, where he completed residencies in internal medicine and cardiology at Hahnemann University. Iskandrian was named professor of medicine at Hahnemann in 1983 and served as director of nuclear cardiology at the Cardiovascular Institute at Hahnemann. Iskandrian also served as a professor of medicine at Allegheny University and the Philadelphia Heart Institute. He moved to the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1999, where he is a distinguished professor of medicine and radiology and the director of the nuclear cardiology program.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not practicing medicine?

There is never a dull moment. I really enjoy classical music, reading, walking and especially spending time with my family, including our grandchildren. That last one is a full-time job, and by choice it has cut down on our out-of-town travel.

If you hadn’t gone into cardiology or medicine, what would you have done?

I really thought I was going to go into medicine since I was 6- or 7-years-old; if not medicine, then maybe teaching or perhaps joining the Peace Corp. I would do something in which you can touch the lives of people.

Ami E. Iskandrian, MD Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Radiology and Director of the Nuclear Cardiology Program, University of Alabama, Birmingham. Member, Imaging Section, Cardiology Today’s Editorial Board.

What would you consider one of your biggest successes in your specialty?

Perhaps exciting people to learn, making them think, getting them interested and making teaching and learning interesting would be my biggest successes.

What is the last book you read/art collection you saw/CD you bought? Why, and what did you think of it?

I have always loved biographies and history and have a good hardcover book on the presidents. I liked Woodrow Wilson’s contribution – there is something about him that is probably underestimated. There was also a book called On Call in Hell about a surgeon who volunteered to go to the worst part of Iraq shortly after his daughter was born. I come from Iraq and know the area very well. This guy did so many good things and saved so many lives of our troops. He had unbelievable courage. That one affected me personally. As light reading, there is a novel by John Hart called The Last Child that keeps you interested until the end.

I have visited many of the art museums of the world. We were in Egypt this past March for a cardiology meeting, and I spent a couple of days in Alexandria and visited the art museum there. Local artists that I have never heard about had beautiful pieces of art that really inspired me. I also visited the library, which is something like the second largest in the world. It was an incredible, wonderful building.

I love classical music. The last thing I bought was Vivaldi’s Concerto for Flute and a Sibelius symphony. I have always enjoyed doing my work to classical music, and it is always on in the background.

Who do you most admire, and what would you ask that person if you had five minutes with him/her?

There are two people I would like to talk to. One is an angel and the other is evil. I would like to talk to the Dalai Lama and Bernie Madoff. I would like to see what goes on in their minds. What makes the Dalai Lama so peaceful in the midst of tragedies? How does he see the world? Where does he think the power is coming from? What drove Bernie Madoff to such an evil thing and to ruin the lives of so many people? Through the years, I would like to have spoken to Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Mother Teresa. They have inspired me in many ways and have done so much, and I would love to know what drove them.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

When I was in medical school, in a classroom where most of the lectures were held, there was a saying across the top of the blackboard that said, “Never forget to ask yourself why.” Every day and every week I looked at that, and I had no understanding of what it meant, but it was there before me and stayed there after me.

From the beginning, although I was at the top of the class and I did well, the teacher’s reports would say: I could do even better. I put these two thoughts together and thought that it was not just enough to be better — you just have to be the best you can be.

Ami E. Iskandrian, MD, enjoying some downtime with his grandchildren. Courtesy of: Ami E. Iskandrian

Who do you consider a mentor?

A mentor is somebody who is not selfish and who is trying to promote the new and younger generation. They do it for the love of doing it and are not expecting anything in return. For me personally, my chief of cardiology when I was in Philadelphia, the late William Likoff, MD, was a great mentor. He was a gentle person — gentle with the patients, with colleagues and with house staff. He said what he had to say clearly and held your hand. He was a great example of a mentor.

What kind of diet and exercise regime do you have?

The nest is empty and it is just my wife and I. We do not indulge in heavy diets. We eat soup, salads, chicken, fish, fruit, etc. We really do not have a special preference, and there is no food I dislike. We enjoy ethnic food.

I wake up at about 4:30 a.m. and do about an hour on the treadmill. On the days when I do not do it, like when I have to be in the hospital earlier, I feel like I have lost something that day. The treadmill has become a religious part of my routine.

What do you think will have the biggest influence on cardiology in the next 10 years?

What I would like to see is not necessarily the science per se, but just to have uniform health coverage for everybody and to have a uniform, appropriate use of what we have. There are so many people who are uninsured and whose health is ruined not because there is nothing out there to treat them, but because they do not have access to it or cannot afford it. The science will always progress, but we are behind in applying what we have to our people.

What is your favorite travel destination?

Italy by far. There are many places in the world that are beautiful and deserve to be seen, but Italy, particularly Tuscany, is my favorite. You can drive through these small towns and walk into any restaurant and the food is fantastic. The people are nice and the scenery is marvelous.

What is your favorite restaurant?

It could be Chinese or Thai or Italian or French or American cuisine. Here in Birmingham, near the University of Alabama, there are a few good restaurants such as Bottega and the Highlands Grill where I take our visitors. – by Eric Raible