Mehran was the first female interventional cardiology fellow at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, but she said she was so focused on the work that being the only woman in the rotation didn’t seem to impact her at the time. However, when she began to look for a job after she completed her fellowship, Mehran found that her sex became more of an issue in interviews. “I was a woman of childbearing age who was recently married. I could tell this made my interviewers uncomfortable,” she recounts. “They seemed to question if I was capable or wonder if I would actually be able to perform if push came to shove,” Mehran adds. She says she “lucked out” and landed a role at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, with an incredibly welcoming environment and a male mentor, Martin B. Leon, MD, FACC, who embraced her energy and passion.

Mehran believes mentorship is key for women to be successful. “Mentorship is critical — and mentorship from men is more important than ever, because men who do not have as many perceived barriers in medicine can make a big difference for women,” she says. In fact, if she could change just one thing, it would be establishing that men in leadership positions mentor early career women, because it’s such an important way for women to break through and advance.

While the ratio of men to women in interventional cardiology has improved slightly since Mehran’s early days in medicine, it remains a subspecialty dominated by men. According to Mehran, only approximately 5 percent of the board certified interventional cardiologists are women, and women are more likely to choose urology over interventional cardiology. “This is an incredibly rewarding and fascinating subspecialty. It’s a shame there are so many preconceived notions — among women and men — about what it takes to be an interventional cardiologist,” she says.

"It is time that things change, and that starts by first acknowledging that there is an issue and disparities do exist. So now, let’s each do our part to ensure the future of cardiology is brighter for all." — Roxana Mehran, MD, FACC

Radiation exposure during childbearing years and during pregnancy is one of the primary reasons cited by some women for avoiding the cath lab. In truth, however, Mehran says that both women and men should be taking precautions in the cath lab to protect their health. “That narrative needs to change,” says Mehran. “First, radiation doesn’t discriminate. It’s just as toxic to the cells of men as it is to women. Second, if there is such a concern about female interventional cardiologists in the cath lab, why aren’t we also discussing female nurses, techs, and cath lab personnel, who spend even more time in the lab on many more cases than physicians?”

Culture change is needed says Mehran. “The talented women who have devoted extensive amounts of time to become interventional cardiologists are ready and willing to take on the responsibilities of the job. We cannot lose them to other fields of medicine or even to general cardiology, just because they aren’t afforded the same amount of time in the cath lab as men or because we assume they won’t want to work as hard if they choose to have a family.”

This culture change also requires society to change how they think about the roles of women and men and about family life. “It’s no one’s business what a cardiologist — woman or man — decides to do on the family side. Both women and men should be able to be involved in a family unit and have a career in medicine if they so choose.”

Mehran has spent her career working hard and shattering glass ceilings — as a leader in her field, in research, and as a mother of three teenage daughters. But, she says the work is far from done. “It is time that things change, and that starts by first acknowledging that there is an issue and disparities do exist. So now, let’s each do our part to ensure the future of cardiology is brighter for all.”

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It’s important that the College has defined improvements in gender, racial and ethnic diversity as critical components for organizational success. These historically undervalued or underrepresented segments suggest that we must continue to evolve as a collective. In the coming months we can expect action plans from our College content experts. Additionally, there are elements of diversity and inclusivity that exist “outside of the box” that we should also consider: career/life stage; subspecialty; academic/integrated/independent practice style; urban/suburban/rural practice location; physician/cardiovascular team; nationality/language; U.S./international graduates; gender identification/sexual orientation; economic background; life experience; among others. We should consider ourselves fortunate that we can be represented in so many different ways, yet remain singularly unified in our Mission and Vision.

Thus, to achieve a bright world in which innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes, we must invest in diversity and inclusion, without being exclusionary, to advance patient care, spur intellectual curiosity, and improve health equity among patients and populations. So, what can ACC members and leaders do to address diversity and inclusion? Plenty!

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Bhatt’s genuine concern for his mentees and his generosity of time are among the attributes highlighted when he was presented the award. “Despite his involvement in several hundred manuscripts on a yearly basis, and other academic, clinical, research and administrative commitments, there has not been a single occasion where Dr. Bhatt has not been available to provide invaluable guidance and mentorship,” says Ankur Kalra, MD, FACC. Bhatt’s support and mentoring has helped Kalra to transition into a junior faculty position.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, where Bhatt is the executive director of Interventional Cardiology Programs, has a strong culture of mentorship, he says, with a belief that there’s a responsibility and legacy of training the next generation of academic leaders. Eugene Braunwald, MD, MACC, a legend in cardiovascular medicine, has helped to establish this culture and has been an important role model for Bhatt. “Dr. Braunwald has taught me a lot about being a good mentor, not only to medical students, residents and fellows, but also for junior faculty,” Bhatt says. Mentoring for each of these different stages and beyond, requires a slightly different skill set to get the mentee to their next level, Bhatt notes, and a good mentor works to gain the needed fund of knowledge and adapt to the current needs of the mentee.

Equally important is recognizing the mentee is an independent professional working to develop an independent career and rejoicing in their achievements and success. Fortunately for his many mentees, Bhatt is at a stage in his career that he can afford to provide opportunities for them to advance.

What’s some of the key advice from Bhatt to his mentees? Be introspective and honest about what you truly want from your professional and personal life and try to strike a balance. Be willing to adjust your course as you learn what you truly do and don’t like to do professionally. “It’s just as important to learn what you don’t like or don’t feel you’re good at and change your path,” says Bhatt.

"Despite his involvement in several hundred manuscripts on a yearly basis, and other academic, clinical, research and administrative commitments, there has not been a single occasion where Dr. Bhatt has not been available to provide invaluable guidance and mentorship." — Ankur Kalra, MD, FACC

This advice also applies to the perennial issue of work-life balance. Take stock and make honest decisions about what’s important in your professional and personal life and use this to guide conscious choices about using your time wisely, he says. “We must prioritize what’s important and focus on this,” he adds. For him, at this stage of his life, this means a focus on his work and his family.

As an interventional cardiologist, Bhatt appreciates the immediacy of being able to help a patient, as with a lifesaving primary PCI in the middle of the night — much like his own life was saved when a surgeon traveled through a nighttime blizzard in Boston to remove his ruptured appendix. This first exposure to the hospital environment and his admiration of the physicians and nurses who were helping people were the first seeds planted that led him into medicine. Medical school and an early experience as an anatomy tutor for the thorax while working with a cardiology fellow contributed to his interest in cardiology. While many areas of cardiology held his interest, interventional cardiology married the cognitive component with the procedural component for Bhatt, who has always liked working with his hands.

Bhatt’s service to ACC includes being the senior associate editor of ACC.org and a member of its editorial board; guest editor for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology; vice chair of the Accreditation Management Board; outgoing chair of the NCDR ACTION Registry-GWTG Steering Committee; member of the NCDR Science and Quality Oversight Committee; and a recent term as a Board of Trustee member.

“One of his unique qualities is his perennial availability, despite being one of the busiest and most sought-after people within the cardiology community,” says Dharam J. Kumbhani, MD, SM, FACC. “No question, however minor, is unimportant, and I know that I will have his undivided attention whenever needed,” he adds. True to form, Bhatt is paying it forward, serving as a role model for those he mentored, like Kumbhani, as they move into mentorship roles.

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