Dr. Fye is a consultant in the Cardiovascular Division at the Mayo Clinic and a professor of medicine and the history of medicine at the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minn. He has been an active member of the ACC since 1978 when he became a Fellow. Most recently, Dr. Fye has served as a member of the Board of Trustees, the ACC historian, a member of the ACCEL Editorial Board, and a contributor to ACCSAP. He previously served as the governor of the ACC Wisconsin Chapter, also having cofounded the chapter. He also served as chair of the ACC Government Relations Committee and was a member of the Board of Governors Steering Committee.

Dr. Fye hopes his presidency will reflect his identity as a medical historian. “One of the great challenges we face at this time, with many new educational initiatives and new technologies, is to find a balance between the excitement of change and the traditions that have served us so well,” he said. “I encourage people to reflect on the history of the College and the history of our specialty and to use that as a foundation to make informed choices as we move forward.”

Dr. Fye’s legacy as a medical historian is extensive. He is the author of more than 200 historical papers and two books, The Development of American Physiology: Scientific Medicine in the 19th Century (1987) and American Cardiology: The History of a Specialty and Its College (1996), both published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. The latter book won the Welch Medal of the American Association for the History of Medicine in 2000. He also edited William Osler’s Collected Papers on the Cardiovascular System (1985) and Classic Papers on Coronary Thrombosis and Myocardial Infarction (1993).

Dr. Fye is the author of the “Preludes and Progress” series in Circulation, which consisted of 13 historical papers designed to demonstrate the vital link between basic research and clinical advances in cardiovascular medicine and surgery. He has lectured widely and serves on the editorial boards of several journals.

Dr. Fye and his wife, Lois, have two daughters, Katherine and Elizabeth, who are in college.

One of his first initiatives as ACC president will be the implementation of a new cardiology workforce study, which he believes is long overdue.

“Our current situation is much different than it was in 1994, when the College undertook its last workforce study,” Dr. Fye said. “Now, more than ever, technology is a driving force in the field of cardiology. We need to study how evolving and sophisticated technology influences workforce issues.”

The workforce study, which Dr. Fye will chair along with John Hirshfeld, Jr., MD, will include an assessment of the role of nurses and so-called physician extenders in cardiac care.

“In the last 15 years or so, we have seen a significant increase in the team-based model of care, wherein nurses play a more active role in the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease,” he said.

Dr. Fye also plans to develop programs that will emphasize the importance, and promote the growth, of the ACC chapters.

“The chapter model is still evolving,” he said. “We need to help the less-developed chapters, and we need to encourage and support grassroots initiatives at the local level.”

Convocation Address

In welcoming the College’s new Fellows, Dr. Fye encouraged them to consider not only the “science” of medicine but the “art” of medicine as well.

“The art of medicine focuses on the unique human interaction between a patient and his or her physician,” Dr. Fye said. “The art of medicine complements the science that informs the choices we make when it comes to diagnosis and treatment. Physicians who value the art of medicine appreciate the importance of caring, compassion, and communication.”

Just as science complements the art of medicine, technology augments clinical judgment. However, Dr. Fye noted, it does not replace it.

“There is more to clinical judgment than making a difficult diagnosis and prescribing the proper pills,” Dr. Fye said. “It also implies awareness and acknowledgment of a patient’s feelings and fears. A complete physician is compassionate as well as conscientious.”

The pace of modern medicine coupled with the bureaucratic demands and restrictions of outside forces presents a challenge to the art and the science of medicine. Physicians, he said, must not let this and other challenges of modern practice threaten the sanctity of the physician–patient relationship.

“A decade ago, for-profit managed care swept over the American landscape like a flood, washing away medical traditions and ruining relationships,” Dr. Fye said. “The unique doctor–patient relationship, built on a centuries-old foundation of self-sacrifice and trust, was undermined.”

That foundation can be preserved and strengthened, he said, through confidence, conviction, and a continued commitment to the value of specialty medicine and collaborative care.

“The future of cardiology is especially bright,” Dr. Fye said. “America’s research machine has been reenergized, and our academic medical centers are producing a new generation of bright and ambitious men and women who want to deliver high-quality care as cardiovascular specialists. Their enthusiasm enlivens our specialty, and their diversity enriches our profession, our College, and our nation.”