Pursuing our interests can help us find our purpose, but sometimes, it is the people we meet who can shape our paths.
Pursuing our interests can help us find our purpose, but sometimes, it is the people we meet who can shape our paths.
For Professor Victor Dzau, it was the support and influence from his mentor, distinguished Harvard cardiologist Dr Eugene Braunwald, who paved his journey into medicine.
Back in the 1970s, Prof Dzau was the only Chinese resident in a white-dominated American hospital. His descent mattered little to Dr Braunwald, who holds a firm belief in meritocracy.
“Dr Braunwald bets on people whom he thinks have potential. I was one of those lucky people,” he shared. “He doesn’t care what colour you are. What he cares is that you are smart and hardworking, and if you are, things tend to work out.”
And that bet paid off.
Today, Prof Dzau is an influential healthcare figure who has made many significant contributions with his seminal research in cardiovascular medicine and genetics. It is his fervent interest for research that has carried him this far.
“How do you choose what to do? You choose something you’re passionate about. That will sustain you. I find that when you choose something you love, you do a great job at it,” he said.
Prof Dzau recounted an encounter with a patient who strengthened his passion for research:
When he was developing a treatment for congestive heart failure, he met a severely emaciated patient who had heart failure with ascites. The patient was unable to lie down; he could only sit at the edge of his bed at night, catching his breath.
A week later, the experimental medication Prof Dzau developed proved its efficacy and the patient could be discharged. Worried that the patient might not be able to get home, Prof Dzau offered him some cash for transport. The patient then reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash.
“He told me he played cards with the other patients last night. His health and mind were good enough to win the games. That was incredible to me that research can lead to therapies that can save human lives and improve quality of life and I have been hooked on research ever since.”
His accomplishments have never stopped him from doing more – he believes that every experiment opens up opportunities of finding new cures and treatments.
“People ask me why I even go through the trouble of writing grants since I am already successful. I do it because I love the idea of pursuing new ideas that can make a difference in patients,” he explained.
“We are in the best and worst of times in health and medicine. We face enormous issues ahead of us. What are you going to do with the things that you have learnt? How will you experiment with new ideas that can improve people’s lives? You can make a huge difference.”
Prof Dzau was speaking to First Year Duke-NUS medical students at the Fireside Chat with Professor Victor Dzau on 27 May 2015 about pursuing a life of curiosity and embracing chances in Research and Medicine.
