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J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2007;134:1-14
© 2007 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Presidential Address

Rewards, risks, and responsibilities of globalization for the cardiothoracic surgeon

Department of Cardiac Surgery, Children’s National Heart Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC.

Read at the Eighty-sixth Annual Meeting of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Philadelphia, Pa, April 29-May 3, 2006.

Received for publication September 15, 2006; accepted for publication September 19, 2006.

^_* Address for reprints: Richard A. Jonas, MD, Chief, Cardiac Surgery, Co-Director, Children’s National Heart Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010. (Email: rjonas@cnmc.org).

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.

	Introduction

 

Dr Jonas

It is a tremendous honor for me to be standing before you today as the 87th president of this august and proud academic organization. I am truly humbled to be here standing on the shoulders of giants, individuals of vision and energy who have shaped this Association to be what it is today. This Association is a brilliant public symbol of the importance of the academic mission for the present and future of cardiothoracic surgery. By awarding membership, the Association pays tribute through peer recognition to those who make significant contributions to teaching, research, and clinical surgery. When I became a member of the Association, I considered it one of the greatest honors of my professional career. As a foreign medical graduate from Adelaide, South Australia, to be president of this Association feels like the ultimate realization of the American dream, proof that all doors are open in this great land of opportunity.

I am not alone on this podium this morning. There are many wonderful people who share this honor with me today: first and foremost, my immediate family, my three children, Andrew, Michael, and Nicole Sofia, of whom I am tremendously proud, and my beautiful, loving wife, Katherine, who has counseled and supported me through the challenges and complexities of life, as well as my extended family, all of whom live in Australia. My assistant for 23 years, Laura Young, has quietly and calmly managed my increasingly complicated life with the most remarkable efficiency and organization. Laura’s vast memory not only includes details of grant deadlines and council meetings but also extends to remembering touching personal details of patients and their families from decades ago. Surely one of the great joys of being a congenital heart surgeon is that most of our patients lead long and . . . [Full Text of this Article]