Peter Kowey, MD, therapeutic innovator and novelist

Drawing on some of his extensive professional experience, Kowey explores a complex medical topic by telling a good story.

When not helping innovate therapeutic drugs for the treatment of cardiac disorders and arrhythmias, Peter Kowey, MD, spends much of his creative energies writing.

Kowey received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1975. He served his fellowship in cardiology at the Harvard University School of Public Health and at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston until 1980, after which he served a cardiovascular medicine and research fellowship at the West Roxbury VA Hospital and Harvard Medical School until 1981. Kowey served in many academic and leadership roles during his career, including as a professor of medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, and as the chief of the division of cardiovascular diseases of the Main Line Health System, beginning in 1990. He is also currently the president and chairman of the board of directors of the Heart Center of Lankenau, Bryn Mawr and Paoli Memorial Hospitals in Pennsylvania. Kowey is also currently a professor of medicine and clinical pharmacology at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and the William Wilkoff chair in Cardiovascular Research at the Lankenau Institute of Medical Research.

Peter Kowey, MD President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Heart Center of Lankenau, Bryn Mawr and Paoli Memorial Hospitals in Pennsylvania. Professor of Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and the William Wilkoff chair in Cardiovascular Research at the Lankenau Institute of Medical Research. Member, Arrhythmia Disorders section of Cardiology Today’s Editorial Board.

Kowey has served as a reviewer for numerous publications, including the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the American Heart Journal, Circulation, the American Journal of Cardiology and The New England Journal of Medicine, among others. Over the course of his career that spans four decades, he has been the recipient of more than 100 grants and has authored or co-authored more than 400 papers and scientific reports.

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

I enjoy creative writing when I’m not practicing, and I found out recently that my first novel will be published in September. The book is called Lethal Rhythm and it is a medical mystery that examines some of the problems that a cardiologist faces when he is sued for medical malpractice, with the goal of helping the public understand the toll the medical malpractice issue has taken on physicians and their patients. There are some twists and turns in the plot, and it is an interesting story about a cardiologist who loses his career and family after being sued for malpractice that he knows he didn’t commit.

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

I might have driven a truck. My father was a tractor-trailer driver, and I even drove a truck in college. I don’t know if I would have ended up doing it or not, but it wasn’t a bad deal. Another thing I thought a lot about was the possibility of doing just a basic bench research. The great thing about medicine is that it allowed me to do some of that and some of the other things I’ve enjoyed.

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

My area of interest has been in antiarrhythmic drug development and understanding how drugs influence and suppress cardiac arrhythmias. There have been a number of drugs we have had the opportunity to learn about over the last 20 or 30 years. Some of them we’ve taken all the way from the bench to clinical development and approval. To me, that is the ultimate success in the field — coming up with new therapeutics that make a difference. If you can come up with a new therapy, sometimes thousands or even millions of people end up benefiting from it, and there is a large ripple effect.

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

The last book I read was The Summons by John Grisham. I’m a fan of Grisham, and my writing style is similar to his. He tells a good story. Stories and allegories are a good way to communicate information in a way that people remember. Another book I read by him, right before this one, is called Ford County, which was a collection of short stories based in Ford County, Mississippi. All of them were very good and well-woven stories.

The last art exhibit I attended was the Tim Burton exhibit at the New York Museum of Modern Art. They were displaying a lot of items from his movies, as well as his drawings, cartoons and models. It was impressive.

Believe it or not, the last music I purchased was the album Bigger Bang by the Rolling Stones.

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

I would love to hear what Jesus Christ would have to say. I would love to be able to find out what he hoped to accomplish and what he thought he was accomplishing during his life. He was such an extraordinary figure, and I don’t think anybody would argue that he’s changed the world more than any other person in history.

Peter Kowey, MD, will be publishing his first novel in September. Photo courtesy of: Peter Kowey, MD

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

It definitely came from my father, and it was to always treat everyone — no matter what their station in life — with the utmost respect, and that respecting other people will help them to respect you.

Whom do you consider a mentor?

Bernard Lown, MD, my attending physician when I was a fellow in the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, was my mentor. He wasn’t just about medicine. He also taught us about how physicians should relate to patients as people. He taught us an awful lot about bedside skills, history-taking and how to optimize opportunities to understand patients’ illnesses and to heal them — not to just treat their diseases, but to approach them as individuals and unique persons.

What kind of diet and exercise regimen do you have?

I exercise about four or five days per week with cardiovascular training and with weights. I like to bike, downhill and cross-country ski, golf and play tennis. I like to use the speed bag, which helps get out aggression and relieve stress. I don’t have any particular diet. I’ve learned over the years that it’s all about keeping it balanced. I certainly don’t deny myself anything, but I try not to go overboard with any one kind of food.

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

I think a movement away from more invasive technologies toward less invasive technologies — diagnostic, as well as therapeutic — and moving away from surgery per se to less invasive techniques will be something that is important over the next 10 years. Also, a better understanding of how to influence disease with biologics is definitely going to have an impact on the way we care for patients. Genetics is another way forward.

What is your favorite travel destination?

We love visiting Southern Calififornia, where my grandchildren live. Our second favorite destination is San Francisco, where my youngest daughter goes to college.

What is your favorite restaurant?

It’s a local place called the Guard House. It’s our favorite restaurant because it’s completely and utterly simple. It’s eclectic — they have some Italian, some German, some French and other foods, and it is good and plentiful. Also, everybody knows our name. – by Eric Raible