Allan Jaffe, MD, helped change the way cardiologists think about troponin markers

He has extensively researched the clinical utility of biomarkers of cardiac injury, inflammation, hemodynamic disturbance and coagulation.

Allan S. Jaffe, MD, has spent several decades exploring and advancing the clinical utility of biomarkers and has traveled the world as a foremost expert on the subject.

Jaffe received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and received his house staff and cardiology training at Washington University in St. Louis. Jaffe spent the next 22 years at Washington University, where he rose to the rank of professor of medicine and director of the coronary care unit. Jaffe also served as professor of medicine and chair of the CV division at the State University of New York at Syracuse before moving to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he is currently chair of the division of core clinical laboratory services in the department of laboratory medicine and pathology.

Jaffe concentrated on the clinical use of biomarkers in the pathophysiology and management of patients with acute ischemic heart disease. He has extensively researched the clinical utility of biomarkers of cardiac injury, inflammation, hemodynamic disturbance and coagulation. Jaffe is the author of multiple book chapters, studies and reviews on the subject, and serves on many cardiology guideline boards.

When not exercising, Jaffe enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with his two children.

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

I’ve always been very involved with exercise and athletics, from watching games to participating. I’ve migrated toward working out on the treadmill and bicycle as I’ve gotten older. I also love reading.

Allan S. Jaffe, MD Chair, Division of Core Clinical Laboratory Services, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Member, CHD and Prevention Section of Cardiology Today’s Editorial Board.

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

I would probably have gone into coaching baseball, football or basketball, focusing particularly on young people. I really enjoy working with young people.

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

I like to think I’ve really helped to shape the way we think about troponin markers. I was involved with cardiac myocardial kinase bands, but that field had been fairly advanced at the time that I started. Jack H. Ladenson, PhD, and I developed cardiac troponin I and did all of the initial validation studies. I have been able to see that through to the point where it is now the marker of choice for diagnosis of cardiac injury and therefore for MI. It still continues to be a passion of mine as an area of research.

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

I’m in the midst of reading “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. It is most enjoyable to read things my children recommend. My son once recommended an article in The Atlantic Monthly by a woman named Samantha Power, who subsequently wrote a book on genocide and the policies related to it. It was an eye-opening experience for me, sort of moving outside of one’s field. The last art exhibit I visited was at the art museum in Chicago. I really love the modern museum in New York; of the out-of-country museums, I love the Prado in Madrid, Spain, more than the Louvre or the London museum or others. The last CD I bought was a gift for someone. I have always loved the music of The Fantastics, and I intermittently gave that as a gift. The latest CD I bought for myself was of Roy Orbison’s most famous music.

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

My father was a terribly important person to me. He was a great guy but very quiet about his own life. I have loved as I’ve gotten older going back and discussing with him some of the things about his life and the perspectives that he had that I’ve also shared with him.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

I’m not sure it came from one solitary person, but what has evolved over time is the idea that there are certain circumstances that those of us in medicine, which is intellectually based, try hard to think through. We look for the balance and try to parse things out. Sometimes, there are too many considerations. What has evolved for me is to trust your gut instinct, because it is really the best way to integrate all of the inputs that are there. When making tough decisions under difficult circumstances, I trust the way that I feel much of the time, and that has been very good for me.

Who do you consider a mentor?

One is certainly my father. In medical school, I was fortunate to have a very difficult guy who was in private practice at the time named Herb Kushner, MD. I had an advisor at the University of Maryland named Frank Calia, MD, who pushed me to go to the best places and get the best education. That got me to Washington University, where I was fortunate to have two wonderful mentors: Burton Sobel, MD, who is just a wonderful developer of young people and a wonderful scientist, and David Kipnis, MD, who was the head of medicine. Kipnis was an ideal model of what you want to see in a leader, with vision and compassion.

What kind of diet and exercise regimen do you have?

I exercise every day and it is rare that I miss exercising. Exercise for me is sort of a respite. It has become a requirement and if I don’t exercise every day I do not feel nearly as well. It is also a good thing because I have terrible eating habits. I find that whatever I eat during the day does not influence what I eat for dinner, and I tend to eat large dinners.

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

I suspect it will be something related to cardiac cellular repair, whether with stem cells or ways in which we can find to repair the tissue of the heart. Many tissues can regenerate themselves, and it seems that part of embryogenesis is recapitulated with these repair processes. We ought to be able to find a way to get the heart to repair itself, if not totally, at least partially. That will eventually come to fruition, although the risk right now is that people are pushing it so hard and so fast that they could ruin it by doing too many studies before we really understand how to do them properly.

What is your favorite travel destination?

My favorite city is probably Hong Kong, and the place I probably enjoy going to the most is Italy, where I have a large number of friends and collaborators. I go very often. I find that the Italians have a fascination with their history and a willingness to share that I find both infectious and relaxing.

What is your favorite restaurant?

I always liked to take the kids once a year to Ruth’s Chris Steak House. They have a variety of steak restaurants and they do a wonderful job. I suspect that is not only because of the food but also because of the great experiences that I had with my kids when we went. – by Eric Raible