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Udho Thadani, MD, discusses medicine, food and the arts
Being himself and having an inquiring mind have served Thadani well.
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Udho Thadani, MD, has led a long and distinguished career as a clinician, researcher and teacher. He is also a founding member of the Cardiology Today Editorial Board.
Thadani graduated in 1964 from All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi and completed his training in the United Kingdom and Canada. He obtained certification at the Royal College of Physicians, U.K., in 1969 and The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1976. Thadani has written dozens of articles, book chapters and publications, and sits on several editorial boards. Thadani is also a reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals, including Circulation, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and the New England Journal of Medicine.
Currently, Thadani serves as professor emeritus of medicine and consultant cardiologist at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center and District VA Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
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Cardiology Today interviewed Thadani about his career and interests.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not practicing medicine?
I like to travel to see new places. I love to watch my wife garden. She is English, and she has a beautiful English garden. Also, we walk the dog when I am in town. Occasionally, I go to Las Vegas and try to beat the slot machines, but they usually beat me.
If you had not gone into cardiology or medicine, what would you have done?
When I was a little boy, my sister was doing medicine and I never thought about doing anything else. If I did not get into medical school, which thankfully did not happen, my family would have made me go into engineering. I always thought medicine was a very noble profession. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would.
What would you consider one of your biggest successes in your specialty?
I always loved to take care of patients. My main focus during the years has been doing clinical research regarding how to appropriately use different drugs. This all started when I graduated from AIIMS, New Delhi, which had excellent medical sciences and where I was exposed to good clinical training. I went to Leeds University, and there I was exposed to great researchers. My major success has been to study drug effects in people to determine whether the drugs are effective. Sometimes the studies are negative, which provides important therapeutic information.
What is the last book you read, art collection you saw or CD you bought? Why, and what did you think of it?
I am trying to read the “Bhagavad-Gita,” which is a very interesting and deep work. It is a kind of epic poetry and philosophy. It is important to come to grips with life and reality and what is important and what is not, and that is teaching me somewhat. Usually I do not read novels. We were lucky enough to see the J.W.M. Turner exhibition in Dallas of mostly landscapes from the 18th century, and it was an incredible exhibition. The last records I bought were The Beatles and “Mamma Mia!” I love John Lennon’s songs.
Who do you most admire, and what would you ask if you had five minutes with that person?
Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi. He was an incredible guy. He was a lawyer who gave up his practice to look after underprivileged people, and he sacrificed everything. If I ever had a chance to reach out, I would want to know what motivated him to make his self-sacrifice and to renounce everything he had. It would be great to meet him if I had the chance.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Be yourself but try to listen to others. I tend to interrupt others too much. Also, always be considerate of others. Obviously, you can put your point of view out there, but be considerate of others.
Who do you consider a mentor?
My first mentor was Dr. K. L. Wig. When I graduated from AIIMS, he was my professor of medicine, and he really taught me that it was so important to talk to the patients. So, that taught me compassion. Following that, Dr. Clive Aber further enhanced that view. He was a superb clinician as well as researcher and exposed me to better research. Then, he was instrumental in getting me to the Leeds General Infirmary in England, where I learned my research methodology from the late Dr. Stanley Taylor.
What kind of diet and exercise regime do you have?
Regarding diet, I do not have breakfast anymore. I like a light lunch, and I eat all of the junk I can in the evening! As for exercise, I do not have a regular exercise schedule. I walk fast between the two hospitals where I work. Last year, I started doing push-ups. I could not do five when I started, but now I can do a few more, so that is my routine in the morning.
What do you think will have the biggest influence on cardiology in the next 10 years?
Gene-targeted therapy seems to be already coming around to prime time — not only to deliver gene therapy to replace genes that are defective but also to perhaps target individual therapy based on genetic makeup of responders and nonresponders. Also, nanotechnology will play a bigger role to reach the target level. On the other hand, technology could also drive us down the tubes because the costs may become astronomical. I hope I am wrong about this.
What is your favorite travel destination?
I love to go to Yorkshire. My wife is from England, so I really love to go there and take walks in the countryside and sample the local pub food. Following that, if I get a chance every couple of months or so, I like to go to Las Vegas.
What is your favorite restaurant?
This is a tough question since I have eaten at many good restaurants. When I am in Las Vegas, there is a good restaurant called Bouchon. I love it because it is very casual, but the food is just excellent. Obviously, there are a lot of other restaurants where I have eaten but I have at Bouchon more than a few times and love it. Locally, I love my wife’s cooking, so there is my local restaurant. I love her cooking. — by Eric Raible