Introduction
I thought it important to expand on the value to the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine of attracting several senior cardiologists from private practice that can contribute to the growth and development of fellow trainees and young faculty just out of fellowship training.
Most of the faculty that we recruited from private practice are not dedicated to clinical research but they are encouraged to write about what they do (in book chapters, non peer reviewed literature, peer reviewed literature, etc.). All of these individuals have clinical duties and devote a significant amount of their time to developing lectures and other educational programs for trainees and other young faculty persons. Thus their work is predominantly clinical and involves patient care (clinics, in-patient, consultation) and teaching fellows, residents, medical students, physician’s assistants, advanced cardiac nurse practitioners, pharmacy students and technicians.
Recruitment of Physicians
Over the past 15–20 years we have recruited approximately 8 physicians, all very well trained in academic institutions who were in private practices of cardiovascular medicine.
Cardiac Ultrasound
The first of these individuals was a clinical cardiologist with expertise in echocardiography. She was working in Corpus Christi, Texas. This person, as associate professor, eventually grew our echo department into a hugely busy practice of Trans thoracic and Trans esophageal echo. Many members of our Division have joined this person to cover the huge amount of work required in this noninvasive laboratory.
Interventional Cardiology
The second person recruited was practicing interventional cardiology in Sarasota, Florida. Eventually he was promoted to professor and given the leadership of our adult cardiac interventional program which includes TAVR, peripheral vascular disease and mitral valve interventions.
Electrophysiology
A third senior physician, a highly trained electrophysiologist, was in private practice in Fort Myer, Florida. This senior physician became professor and head of our Electrophysiology program which consisted of seven other electrophysiologists responsible for standard RV pacing, BiV pacing, ablation of accessory pathways, AV node ablation, atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter ablations and pacing of the HIS bundle.
Another senior electrophysiologist, working in the Tampa Bay area in private practice and a former trainee of ours, became associate professor and an active member of our EP group and took over coordinating the fellowship training program, for many years.
Pure Clinician
Another senior cardiologist working in Gainesville, Florida, decided he wished to become an academic cardiologist and as associate professor took over control the outpatient clinic, full time as a clinician. He also had expertise in Echocardiography and Nuclear medicine and did most of the noninvasive studies in the Cardiovascular Clinic. He was a graduate of our medical school. He, after several years, left our academic program to work in a VA hospital in an area where most of his family lives in Orlando, Florida.
Imaging
Another senior cardiologist with excellent training in Cardiac ultrasound and cardiac MR who principally worked in the Minneapolis area in private practice joined us as assistant professor to help with the increasing load of patient care and noninvasive imaging.
Preventive Medicine and Diet
We recently recruited a young but senior female physician whose principle expertise is related to cardiovascular prevention, dietary counseling and yoga classes. This person is an assistant professor and is responsible for teaching our fellows and faculty about an area that most cardiologists are not expert in, yet it may be one of the most important areas in cardiovascular medicine that needs to be taught to trainees and faculty.
An Old Friend Returns
Finally an individual who was on faculty here many years ago, rose to the rank of professor at the University of Florida, went into private practice and now is back with us as professor and a senior interventional cardiologist. This person adds a significant amount of wisdom and experience about the catheterization laboratory, angiography and general cardiology and will be well received by fellow trainees and faculty.
Summary and Conclusion
All of these individuals have provided much needed diagnostic and therapeutic help. As I have always maintained, the raison d-etre of an academic cardiologist is to spread the word to young and old physicians outside of the University of Florida. I have always urged faculty to write about what they do so that others, other than the faculty at the University of Florida, know who they are and what they are doing. What they write does not have to be Nobel Prize quality work, but it should reflect what is being done at the University of Florida by the individual.