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Larry B. Goldstein, MD, FAAN, FANA, FAHA: A tireless advocate for stroke prevention
The career of Larry B. Goldstein, MD, FAAN, FANA, FAHA, began in the laboratory, but it has taken him all around the world as one of neurology’s most prominent experts on brain injury and stroke, and as a spokesperson for the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association on the prevention and treatment of stroke.
Goldstein received his undergraduate degree from Brandeis University in 1977 and his MD from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1981. He then completed an internship and neurology residency at Mount Sinai before heading to Duke University in 1985 for a research fellowship in cerebrovascular disease. He has remained at Duke ever since.
Goldstein has published more than 640 journal articles and other professional papers, and has co-written a number of guidelines, including the AHA Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Stroke, Guidelines for the Prevention of Stroke in Patients with Ischemic Stroke or TIA, Guidelines for Early Management of Ischemic Stroke, and Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. He has chaired the ASA Advisory Committee, the Leadership Committee of the ASA Stroke Council, and the stroke council’s Long Range Planning Committee. He has also served on the Quality Standards Subcommittee, the Practice Committee and the Stroke Systems Work Group for the American Academy of Neurology.
A member of the AHA National Spokesperson panel, Goldstein is a prominent voice educating the public, the medical profession and policymakers about stroke. He has served on the AHA’s Board of Directors as well as a number of committees for the International Stroke Conference.
Goldstein has won numerous awards, including the AHA’s Chairman’s Award, its National Volunteer Advocate of the Year, its Award for Meritorious Achievement and its Stroke Council’s Leadership Award. He was elected to the American Neurological Association in 1998.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not practicing medicine?
Spending time with family, reading and driving on scenic back roads.
If you hadn’t gone into medicine, what would you have done?
I can’t think of having done anything else. From high school on, I knew that neurology was what I wanted to do. The catalyst was an Advanced Placement science course where we had to do a project. I did one related to learning and memory in goldfish. When you start doing things when you’re young, it can plant the seeds that blossom later. So that is what got me interested.
What would you consider one of your biggest successes in your specialty?
My role in promoting stroke as an important target for AHA research and public programs. By helping to promote the AHA’s taking up stroke as one of its primary missions, we moved from being a loosely knit group of organizations interested in stroke with little in the way of resources to make anything actually happen to being able to take advantage of the AHA’s considerable resources and millions of members. So when there are issues related to public policy, advocacy, or even developing programs, the resources of the AHA can make an incredible difference. Two examples of important programs the AHA has fostered or initiated are the development of stroke centers and the Get with the Guidelines-Stroke program. They also have supported a number of important stroke-related policy initiatives. After the NIH, the AHA is the second-most frequent funder of CV and stroke research in the country. There are a whole variety of benefits that came with having the AHA actively involved in stroke and making it part of the organization’s mission.
What is the last book you read? Why, and what did you think of it?
David McCullough’s The Greater Journey provides great insights into the early development of modern medicine. It was about Americans going to Paris in the early 1800s. He writes about a number of things, but from the medicine side, one of the luminaries of neurology, Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard, MD, is mentioned. He was an interesting guy who did a lot of off-beat therapies. It also touches on Sir William Osler, MD, and others going to Paris and learning the techniques of bedside medicine and rounding and instruction that we still do today.
Who do you most admire and what would you ask that person if you had 5 minutes with him/her?
Luckily, I have a large network of friends and colleagues who are available to discuss clinical, practice and personal issues. I am not sure that there is any one person I most admire.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Never send an e-mail when you’re upset, and assume everyone in the world will be reading it.
Who do you consider a mentor?
My primary mentor was James N. Davis, MD. Jim recruited me to Duke as a first-year fellow after I completed my residency. He was the reason I came to Duke to begin with. He was a wonderful guy, a good scientist and a great mentor. He got me started on my research career. His view was that spending time in a laboratory is worthwhile, no matter what you’re doing in academic medicine. He got me into the laboratory of Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, the Nobel Prize winner. I spent a year in his laboratory before beginning my own laboratory work that was focused on brain injury and stroke and recovery. It was a really great way of beginning an academic career.
Goldstein in front of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., where he visits frequently to raise awareness about stroke.
Photo courtesy of: Larry B. Goldstein, MD, FAAN, FANA, FAHA; printed with permission.
What kind of diet and exercise regimen do you follow?
Essentially a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-type diet with aerobic and resistance exercise every other day. I have an inside Schwinn Airdyne rower, and I have done that pretty much since college.
What do you think will have the biggest influence on cardiology in the next 10 years?
Better not ask a neurologist.
What is your favorite travel destination?
Hawaii. I think it is like paradise on Earth. You couldn’t have better weather or nicer people.
What is your favorite restaurant?
Nantucket, a local American food bar and restaurant. It is a great place because when you see the same staff multiple times, they know what you like. And they have the world’s best vegetable chili. – by Erik Swain