Page 4 - CBAC Newsletter 2017

Mark E. Josephson, M.D. Timothy W.P. Smith,
D.Phil., M.D.
1943 - 2017 is an Associate
By Timothy W.P. Smith, D.Phil., M.D. Professor of Medicine
Cardiovascular Division,
Mark E. Josephson, M.D. recently passed away after a long and distinguished Washington University
career as a physician, investigator, writer, and teacher – correction, mindful that School of Medicine
the word doctor comes from the Latin word docere (to teach) – his career was
that of a doctor, with all that it implies. That he had the intellect to be a
teacher to most anyone was only the foundation of his achievement. He had to
be a great learner first, to build that foundation. Yet, he never lost his drive to
learn, and he continued to be a teacher, a doctor, even to himself and to (highly
advanced) colleagues whom he considered his peers. Obviously his texts, which
are often consulted by the most advanced cardiologists, attest to the fact.
The obvious teaching role was of designated students and trainees. He had a
keen interest in identifying those who were especially receptive to teaching.
I hope I was one of them as a resident, and a fellow, and an electrophysiology
fellow. But I saw repeatedly that he would pay special attention to those who
weren’t technically his “students”—nurses, technicians, and trainees in other
fields. He may have been a bit intimidating to his fellows, but time and again I
saw him put a learner at ease adjusting the pitch of his discourse. Anyone could
be Dr. Josephon’s student if he believed they were willing and receptive enough.
And, of course, his patients… He (correctly) considered educating his patients
an essential part of being a doctor. Sometimes he had more to say than the
patient may’ve wanted to hear, but he understood educating the patient as
integral to diagnosis and therapy. That is, teaching was a large part of caring
for the patient. Despite the sometimes-intricate nature of arrhythmology, he
went to great lengths to help the patient understand what was going on.
He kept teaching himself, too. His impressive record of investigation was a
means of teaching himself, even things previously unknown. His writing, about
the investigation and in textbooks and reviews, has taught everyone the things
he taught himself. Those writings will continue to teach us all for quite some
time.
So Dr. Josephson’s legacies are manifold; but really, they all qualify him to be
called doctor, in that broad sense of the word. Any of us should aspire to it,
in any of its versions. The person who reaches his stature in just one of these
teaching roles is very successful indeed. Mark Josephson achieved the rank
of doctor at every aspect of his career.