David P. Faxon, MD, cardiologist with a committed passion for helping others

Faced with a decision to pursue medicine or marine biology, Faxon cites a concern for the greater good that pushed him into medicine.

When not treating patients, David P. Faxon, MD, enjoys his other passions, including salt-water fishing in the warmer months and skiing in the winter.

Faxon is the vice chair of medicine for strategic planning at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, both located in Boston, where Faxon grew up. After earning his MD at the Boston University School of Medicine in 1971 and completing his cardiology fellowship at the Boston University Medical Center in 1976, Faxon returned to Boston University as the director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Inspired by the introduction of coronary angioplasty Andreas Grüntzig, MD, in 1977, he was one of the first in the United States to offer coronary angioplasty in his laboratory.

David P. Faxon, MD Vice Chair of Medicine for Strategic Planning at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School. President-elect of the Vascular Disease Foundation. Member, Intervention section of Cardiology Today’s Editorial Board.

In the past decade, Faxon has served as the president of the national American Heart Association, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and is currently the president-elect of the Vascular Disease Foundation, of which he has been on the board since 2004. His clinical focus is the assessment and treatment of patients with CAD, and his research interests include the mechanisms and prevention of restenosis after angioplasty, new interventional devices, acute coronary syndromes, antiplatelet and antithrombotic agents, diabetes and CAD.

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

I enjoy outdoor activities. I’m an avid fisherman and like any kind of fishing. I do mostly salt-water fishing, but I also like fresh-water fly fishing. And then in the winter, I love to ski.

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

I gravitated to medicine early in my career because of my role models, which included my grandfathers, who were doctors. Then during high school, I decided that I didn’t want to go into medicine and instead wanted to be a marine biologist. [Marine biology] still attracts me because it brings in my water and fishing interests, but I decided against it because I felt that I would do more good and that there was a greater calling for me in medicine. I’ve enjoyed being in medicine, and it would be hard to imagine myself doing anything else.

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

One of the most enjoyable and influential things I’ve done is to be president of the American Heart Association. It’s a difficult position, and fortunately, it’s for a short period of time, but you have enormous influence over a large and important organization. During that time, we reorganized the organization structurally, changed the board structure, reorganized funding and increased the focus on the emotional side of heart disease to try to get the public to understand the importance of heart disease, much the way people have an emotional reaction to cancer and AIDS and other health problems.

What is the last book you read/music you purchased? Why, and what did you think of it?

The last book I read was Cutting for Stone. It’s written by a Stanford physician, Abraham Verghese, and deals with two brothers growing up in Ethiopia who become doctors. It’s extremely well-written. There is an overwhelmingly strong message for perseverance and dedication. The story is fascinating and is well-written.

And with regard to music, I’m an oldies guy. I enjoy disco, like Donna Summers’ music. It helps keep me energized.

Whom do you most admire, and what would you ask that person if you had 5 minutes with him/her?

I’d like to talk with Gandhi. My interest with Gandhi is fairly recent, resulting from the trip I just had to India, when I went to and viewed his house. It just seems like he was a remarkable person, an icon of nonviolence. Given the power of nonviolence we are seeing in the Middle East, right now, of countries rising up, much like what India did when it separated from Britain, I would like to learn more about him and his life and how he came upon the process of non-violence.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

I remember John Simpson, MD, who is one of the early founders of interventional cardiology and angioplasty, told me to not be greedy when doing the procedure, meaning do what you can do safely and effectively and don’t try to do too much. Take into account the best interest of the patients, rather than being overly aggressive because that often gets you into big trouble in the care of patients.

Whom do you consider your mentor?

Thomas Ryan, MD, who was chief of cardiology at Boston University for many years and was also the past president of AHA. I did my fellowship and training under him, and he persuaded me to stay in academic medicine at Boston University (I stayed there and did it for 19 years as a result). He was supportive of developing one of the first angioplasty programs in the United States. He pushed me hard to get involved with the AHA, which I’ve obviously enjoyed throughout my life, and he’s been a true mentor, giving me wise advice when I’ve needed it.

David P. Faxon, MD, and his son, Nathaniel, celebrate a catch during a trip to Nantucket, Mass. Photo courtesy of: David Faxon, MD

What kind of diet and exercise regimen do you have?

I live by my wife’s strict rules. She’s careful about what we eat and the amount we eat. So we eat a sensibly balanced diet, trying to reduce the amounts of carbohydrates and fats. We eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, and we do eat meat on a regular basis but not huge amounts.

And exercise; I try to work out, realistically, two to three times a week, either by doing things on the weekends, like skiing, skating or taking walks, or by going to the gym, as I do during the week.

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

If I were looking 20 to 30 years into the future, I would say that genetic evaluations and the use of genetic profiles to characterize patients and choose proper medications will definitely be the biggest influence.

In the meantime, though, the biggest influence will come from advances in imaging. Imaging continues to be an exciting area. The more you can see, the more you can understand, particularly in interventional cardiology.

Another influence will be technology itself, which has had such an incredibly powerful effect on cardiology and will continue to do so. Just think about 30 to 40 years ago, there weren’t any pacemakers. Now we have ICDs that can monitor patients over long periods of times, as well as angioplasty, stents and ablation. All of these are technologies that have been developed over this time.

What is your favorite travel destination?

Nantucket. It’s where I spend the summer. I first went down there in 1967, and it’s just a wonderful, relaxing, beautiful island, where you feel like you’re far away. And there’s great fishing. It’s changed over the years, becoming way too crowded and popular, but it is still a great place.

What is your favorite restaurant?

L’Espalier, a French restaurant here in Boston, which is the best in the city. – by Brian Ellis