Scientific really set that bar, so I was impressed by their commitment to testing their technologies to help doctors make decisions to best care for their patients.


As a vascular medicine specialist, you work closely with IR, but what drew you to being interested in learning more about IR? MJ: Early on in my training at the Cleveland Clinic, at the time, IRs were the ones. They generated the best angiographic images, and they could answer the questions that I as a clinician needed to best care for my patients. They had the ability to think differently about options to treat those patients, so from my earliest experience as a trainee in vascular medicine I knew right away that IRs would be key to the successful care of my patients—and therefore to my success. In each subsequent job, my success hinged on the ability to collaborate closely with IR. When you add the technology explosion—the ability for IRs to hold something in their hands and make it something new and transformative—it was an amazing lights-on moment for me. So that’s how I cut my teeth with IR.


What do you see as some challenges or opportunities facing IR in the coming years? MJ: I’ll put aside the massive challenges that face U.S. health care, and focus solely on the issues specifically for IR.


I think IRs have slowly evolved from being viewed as procedural experts to clinical experts, and that evolution needs to continue. IRs have unbelievable experience taking care of patients, often beyond the procedural suite. For patients with both vascular disease and cancer, the ability for the IR to stand up as an authoritative voice on that team is really important. Patients count on it. For patients to get the best outcome, each department—be it interventional radiology or oncology or surgery or cardiology—needs to bring their expertise equally and loudly to the table. I believe that’s the challenge for IRs who practice in both the vascular and oncology spaces. They’ve earned their seat at that table and for their voice to be just as loud as those of other specialists.


Be open. Disclose that you work for a company and are being paid for it, or that you’re getting royalties. If you hide it, people will think you’re doing something wrong, even though there’s nothing wrong with collaborating with industry.


It sounds like collaboration is very important to you. MJ: Patients count on it. You hear stories about large cancer centers having tumor boards where everyone sits at the table and the case is presented and everyone gives their opinion. Then a team-based strategy is put together. That team-based approach really does matter for a patient with cancer. I believe the same thing happens in vascular disease, particularly for the more complex patients.


Do you have any advice for other physicians who would like to become involved with industry, regardless of specialty? MJ: There is a line in organized medicine that doctors say to each other. “Don’t go to the dark side. Don’t leave organized clinical medicine for industry.” Having now been in this role for almost 2 1/2 years, I’d argue that organized health care is in the dark ages and industry actually has an enlightened view on health care. So don’t let bias stop you from investigating the opportunity.


Secondly, if you’re interested in pursuing clinical research or innovating technology, I think you should reach out to industry boldly while being very transparent about that relationship. Don’t hide it, don’t be embarrassed by it. Be open. Disclose that you work for a company and are being paid for it, or that you’re getting royalties. If you hide it, people will think you’re doing something wrong, even though there’s


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nothing wrong with collaborating with industry. Every great technology you use originated from the hands of a doctor, and physicians collaborated with industry to bring it forward. So be proud and honest about the collaboration.


The last thing is to remember that industry needs physicians. They don’t have the experience that IRs have sitting with patients and families, talking about potential risks of a procedure, managing outcomes, navigating complications that may occur, and celebrating the victories. They don’t have that perspective, and without it industry can’t decide in which direction to go. So, industry needs physicians as much as if not more than physicians need industry.


Want to learn more about collaborating with industry? Listen to The Kinked Wire


Episode 27: Owning Success: The power of partnering with industry


A panel of interventional radiologists, industry reps and others discuss the value of and keys to building a strong relationship with industry.


bit.ly/KWire-027


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