Amidst plastic sheeting and the dust and hammers of construction crews, July 1, 2005 marked the day that Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, officially took the helm as the new Chairman of the Department of Medicine. Even as his Tower 1 office is being renovated, Dr. Loscalzo, together with his staff and Executive Assistant, Kathy Seropian, set about scheduling meetings for construction at another level: a new era in the Department’s mission of clinical care, research, and teaching.

Dr. Loscalzo is no stranger to the Brigham. After receiving his PhD in biochemistry and his MD from the University of Pennsylvania, he completed his clinical training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he served as Resident and Chief Resident in medicine and Fellow in cardiovascular medicine. He joined the Harvard faculty and staff at BWH in 1984, serving for ten years, until he moved to Boston University School of Medicine and Medical Center in 1994, first as Chief of Cardiology and then as the Wade Professor and Chairman of Medicine. A renowned cardiovascular scientist and clinician, Dr. Loscalzo has received many grants from the NIH and industry during his twenty-plus years of research in the areas of vascular biology, thrombosis, and atherosclerosis, and he is the author or co-author of over 450 scientific publications, and author or editor of 21 books. Associate Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine for nine years, he is currently Editor-in-Chief of Circulation, and was recently chosen as one of the senior editors of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, replacing Dr. Eugene Braunwald. As well as chairing the Department of Medicine at BWH, Dr. Loscalzo will also serve as the Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Physic at Harvard Medical School.

Your Medicine Online recently met with Dr. Loscalzo to learn more about his role and his vision for the Department of Medicine in the years ahead.

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Your Medicine Online: How is it to come back to the Brigham? How have things changed since you were a Resident?
Joseph Loscalzo: I am very excited about returning to the Brigham. Having been in town for the last 20 years, and having lots of friends and colleagues here, I have seen the institution change, in many ways considerably. Yet the “cultural essence” of the institution and the values that it has historically had have remained unchanged. I am both excited and delighted to see that kind of evolution.

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Starting up sometimes means starting over. From the top of our medical school classes we interns now begin anew at the bottom of the residency hierarchy… But scratch out “bottom;” replace it with “foundation;” it has greater appeal. Yes, we are at the base camp of Mount Everest. Higher than we have ever been before. But not yet there.

Apparently, the mountain-climbing metaphor was not lost on our residency leadership who organized our orientation to include an expedition to the local Himalayas: New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Elisa Boden, Scott Peterson, Catherine Crosland, and Amy Miller organized our trek with exquisite detail, inspecting our backpacks, sleeping bags, boots and long johns in advance to ensure our comfort. For three days, our merry band of 30 plus interns hiked through the mountains. From our camp at Mizpah Springs, we hiked alongside our rising juniors, several seniors, chief resident Alex Molnar and good humored Program Director, Joel Katz, accompanied by his wife and children. Read more and View Photos.