Life and Times

A longstanding leader in the hypertension world, Dr Suzanne Oparil has, during the course of her brilliant career, moved from the family dairy farm in Elvira, NY, to Columbia, Harvard, the University of Chicago, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Learn more about Dr Oparil's exceptional life, her groundbreaking research, the renowned hypertension programs that she set up, and what has driven her to always "get to the next level."

From modest origins in the village of Kottarakara in Kerala, India, through to international recognition as a top clinical trialist, thinker, and leader in heart disease and population health, Dr Salim Yusuf's exceptional career has shaped the field of research and clinical practice for the past three decades. Learn about Dr Yusuf's early life in India, his Rhodes Scholarship and studies at Oxford, and why he expresses eternal gratitude to his early mentors, Peter Sleight and Richard Peto. In this insightful interview, Dr Yusuf talks for the first time in public about his bout with cancer, his drive to overcome life's obstacles, and the calling that led him to North America—first to the US National Institutes of Health and then to clinical research and academia at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON.

Dr Califf sits down with the prominent European cardiologist Dr Paul Hugenholtz to talk about his experiences growing up in Holland during WWII, how he ended up in the US Air Force, and what took him from Boston back to Rotterdam, and his work for the European Society of Cardiology.

Dr Robert Califf conducts a series of in-depth and personal interviews with his peers in the world of cardiology to find out what makes them tick, how they feel about the future, and what lessons they have learned during their exceptional careers.

Raised in the small town of Scotlandville, LA, Dr Clyde Yancy rose to become a world-renowned heart-failure specialist, president of the American Heart Association, and a leading cardiovascular and public-health scholar. Learn more about his professional life and outlook—his dedication to patient care and understanding the determinants of health—and his strength to defy adversity, move forward after personal tragedy, and raise two exceptional daughters.

Dr Robert Califf conducts a series of in-depth and personal interviews with his peers in the world of cardiology to find out what makes them tick, how they feel about the future, and what lessons they have learned during their exceptional careers.

In Episode 7 of the series, Dr Califf sits down with Dr Valentin Fuster to find out what it was like to grow up under a dictatorship, how he went from budding tennis pro in Barcelona to top cardiologist at Mount Sinai, and why, if he had to do it all over again, he would still do his training at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr Robert Califf conducts a series of in-depth and personal interviews with his peers in the world of cardiology to find out what makes them tick, how they feel about the future, and what lessons they have learned during their exceptional careers.

In this episode, Dr Califf catches up with Dr Ralph Brindis and finds out about his path from "exit 9" to ACC presidency, with stops along the way at prep school, MIT, UCLA, Emory, UCSF, and Kaiser Permanente.

In Episode Five of the series, Dr Califf talks to Dr Carl Pepine about his passion for research and his concerns about the encroachment of bureaucracy and hasty reform that cloud over a career choice that is less enticing to today's brightest students than when he was starting out in medicine.

In Episode Four of the series, Dr Califf talks to Dr Ray Gibbons about the core values he learned in his career in science and medicine and why they are imperative for physicians to keep in mind when contemplating the future of healthcare reform.

In Episode Three of the series, Dr Califf talks to Dr Robert Harrington about his humble beginnings, the value of a liberal education, integrating research with the real needs of people, and Southern hospitality.

In Episode Two of the series, Dr Califf talks to Dr Peter Sleight about his San Francisco days, the people he met over the course of his career who changed his life, and the journey from ISIS to Verdi.