Where luck and curiosity can take you

I was a pretty typical medical student in New York City, and it wasn’t until I got onto the wards that I realized I had made the right decision about medicine. Taking care of patients and learning at the same time seemed a dream come true.

I went into almost every rotation thinking maybe I would go into that field, until I completed the rotation. Medicine just became more and more interesting. No surprise that cardiology would be the most interesting of all. There weren’t many—hmmm, come to think of it, ANY—women in cardiology for me to talk to. It felt like I was actively discouraged from considering cardiology.

I made the unusual and lucky decision to go to Parkland Hospital in Texas for my internship and residency. In Dallas, we were all encouraged to follow our dreams. My first senior resident, Bill Knopf, was going into cardiology. He couldn’t care less that I was female; the fact I loved cardiology was what mattered. Jim Willerson encouraged me to think about which aspect of cardiology I was most interested in. Electrophysiology (EP) won out.

My luck continued when I went to Duke for my fellowship. I started in the basic lab of Augustus Grant and then went into the clinical EP lab. It was a wonderful time, as Eric Prystowsky was in charge of clinical EP and my peers were amazing (Doug Packer, Rick Page, Anne Curtis, Peng Chen, and Ken Ellenbogen, for example). What can I tell you about that time? Eric P. never sleeps, so therefore neither did we. Does this sound familiar as a fellow? Because of that shared experience, we developed EP relationships that have lasted to this day!

I then went to join Mark Josephson at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP). The others I worked with were Frank Marchlinski, Al Buxton, John Miller, and Dave Callans. How lucky and scared was I? After I left HUP, I went into private practice back in Dallas with the North Texas Heart Center, where I have been for more than 30 years now.

Along the way, I adopted a wonderful little girl from China, first as a single mom and then with a husband. I tried to show up for everything in her life I could, but the best I can say is that she thought only women could be doctors when she was young (and she was proud of that). She remains the light of my eye.

All along, I went to as many meetings as I possibly could, starting with the biophysics meeting when I was in the basic lab at Duke. I loved going to meetings for absorbing education and, perhaps most importantly for where I am now in my career, making friends and introducing myself to everyone I could. Some of my closest friends in my life are the folks I have met at our meetings, especially my women friends. I made sure I asked questions, went up to speakers after their talks, and got involved in everything I could.

I really wanted to get more involved in the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), so every time someone suggested I apply for a committee, I did. For everyone who has applied to the Board and hasn’t been accepted, that was me too for a while. I didn’t think I was exactly leadership material when I joined but I spoke out, commented, cared, and was incredibly encouraged.

What would I tell folks who want to get more involved? Speak up, make sure that people know who you are. Volunteer for committees, journals, reviewing, and let people know WHAT you want to do, not just that you want to do something. Remind people about yourself. Do all your homework for everything that you volunteer for; be on time, or early if you can; but, more importantly, do a good job.

EP is a wonderful field. It’s great to be in the EP lab, but it is much more than that. It is also great to know that whether you are in private practice or academics you can have a role in clinical research and HRS!