DAVID FELDMAN, M.D., Ph.D., FACC
DIRECTOR OF HEART FAILURE AND CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION
The Ohio State University

David Feldman, unlike most who hold both an M.D. and a Ph.D., is a practicing physician and research scientist. "More than 90 percent end up being clinicians or scientists," says the former HHMI physician postdoctoral fellow. "The number earning both degrees is increasing, but the actual number of functioning M.D./Ph.D.s has been declining."

Among the reasons for this decline, he explains, are the long hours involved in a physician's workweek (60 to 100) and the lower salaries in research. To be successful, it is important to balance both professions, Feldman says. "Where most physicians mess up is being scientists while simultaneously having a full-time clinical career. You can't write something for Nature in between seeing patients." He notes that a few funding organizations, such as HHMI and the National Institutes of Health, recognize the trend and are trying to find ways to encourage such highly skilled people to use all the aspects of their training.

Feldman attempts to balance his various responsibilities by tightly organizing his life. He conducts clinical work at Ohio State University seven to eight months a year, where he is director of heart failure and cardiac transplantation and an assistant professor in two departments. Recently, his research there has yielded 12 papers accepted for publication, and he also helped develop a fellowship program and fund a basic science lab. He typically travels a day or two a week to keep abreast of national and international cardiac-related policy.

Feldman says he makes sure to schedule blocks of time for his family-which includes his physician's assistant wife and their two sons. He also fits in frequent exercise. "I run on the treadmill or lift weights at 10 or 11 at night. It makes me more centered."

A native of Atlanta, Feldman finished his undergraduate program in three and a half years and then earned his M.D./Ph.D. at the Medical College of Georgia in another six. "I attribute that [speed] to a lot of support," he says. "I sit on the shoulders of great parents, teachers, and mentors."

The field of cardiology is "awe inspiring," Feldman says. "I have always gravitated toward patients no one wanted to take care of. Our patients die faster than those with cancer or AIDS. Heart failure is the number one diagnosis and accounts for the largest portion of Medicare and Medicaid expenses. There is lots of room for improvement, lots of room for research."

His research focuses on heart-failure mechanisms, including how hearts pathologically remodel on a cellular basis in large animals. He works with dogs, which have hearts similar to humans. "I love dogs, so that's hard for me," he says.

Somehow, Feldman finds time to contribute regularly to Ask a Scientist. "My perspective is that part of the responsibility of being at an academic medical center is to teach," he says.

Feldman intends to continue living at an intense pace for as long as possible. "We should all strive for perfection, even knowing that we probably won't reach it."

Author: Cathy Kristiansen
Updated: 05/01/06 17:18