Surgical Hot Topics

In this episode of Season 2, Dr. Tom Varghese interviews Dr. Joseph Dearani, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Described as a leader extraordinaire, Dr. Dearani reflects on his STS presidency and shares the most challenging aspects of leading the organization during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. He says adapting, rebounding, and refocusing were key. Dr. Dearani details captivating personal stories such as how his father’s family—who were silk weavers—emigrated from Syria; how his father, as a young boy, shined shoes on a street corner in Patterson, New Jersey, and then used his earnings to buy bread for dinner on the way home; and what it was like growing up with eight younger sisters. His father, who went on the become a family physician, inspired Dr. Dearani to pursue a career in medicine. The decision to specialize in cardiothoracic surgery, though, was a little less straightforward. In fact, surgery wasn’t even one of his initial interests. Instead, he considered emergency medicine an