Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Adult Cardiac
Member Since: 2004
Biography:
Paul A. Kurlansky, MD received his baccalaureate degree (cum laude) from Harvard University and received his medical degree from Tufts University Medical School. He completed his post-graduate training at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York. Dr. Kurlansky is boarded in Surgery, Thoracic surgery and with the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review.
Dr. Kurlansky is the former Director of Research at the Florida Heart Research Institute in Miami, Florida. In 2003, he joined the Columbia HeartSource team as the Director of Research, Recruitment and Continuous Quality Improvement. An Associate Professor of Surgery at Columbia, Dr. Kurlansky is the Associate Director for the Center of Innovation and Outcomes Research. He serves on the Quality Measure Task Force of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons as well as on the editorial board of several peer review journals, including the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and has published extensively on cardiac surgery and quality outcomes.
What Does the AATS Mean To You:
Cardiac surgery is a profession in which excellence is not only aspirational, it is essential. AATS is the organization which embodies, promotes and faciliates this ethic
My First Experience with AATS:
Perhaps my first personal experience with AATS was the rejection by JTCVS of an article I had submitted as a general surgery resident. But my most vibrant early experience was the very exciting and heady experience in NYC when my chief at that time, James Malm, delivered his presidential address.
Why I became an AATS member:
Although my professional career has taken a very circuitous path, I always aspired to the high professional standards that AATS represents--at the time of my induction as a member I was the only non-university surgeon in Miami who was a member.
The most impactful presentation I have seen at an AATS meeting:
The Cosgrove/David debate that followed the year after the "Tony you are killing them" presentation, was classic--as was Gerry Buckberg's commentary of Dr Jones's presentation of the failed STICH trial and his subsequent presentation of a novel way of thinking about cardiac anatomy--all were extremely memorable--but i think Craig Smith's presidential address took the podium to an entirely new level.
The first presentation I gave is:
Not sure but as primary author i believe first presentation related to work we did with our Columbia HeartSource network that showed that volume/quality paradigm was not absolute but ameliorated by institutional focus on quality.
The first paper I had published is:
The first paper i had published was actually a modification of that paper that was rejected by JTCVS. It related to a specific technical modification of the deVega annuloplasty for performing tricuspid valve repair--we converted it to a technical piece which was eventually published in the Annals. My first JTCVS publication related to work we did in the lab regarding xenotransplantation (my how things come full cycle!)
I plan on becoming more involved in the organization through:
As an Associate Statistical Editor for the Journal i am already quite involved. Have also done some database consulting and with the upcoming presidency of Dr Bacha, there may well be more ways that i can be helpful to the Association.
Advice for Trainees:
Aggressively pursue those aspects of the profession which resonate most strongly with your interests, BUT, regardless of that, LEARN EVERYTHING YOU CAN! Time is short and precious and regulations have robbed you of the opportunity to manage your own time, so take advantage of every opportunity that you have to learn because you never know the exact trajectory of your career and where and in what situation you might find yourself--the more you have learned, the better equipped you will be."
My career in CT Surgery was inspired by:
Study of heart embryology and physiology held greater fascination for me than any other area of study in medical school. The opportunity to actually perform definitive operations to alter the course of disease appeared to me to be a maximally complete fulfillment of my responsibility and opportunity as a physician. However, exposure to the cardiac surgical team during my training "sealed the deal"--the dynamic nature of cardiac surgery with the elegant interplay of surgery, anesthesia and perfusion which fully challenged physical, intellectual and psychic abilities was clearly the most complete expression of medical potential.
A significant case/patient interaction that impacted my career is:
Of course i remember the heady moment when the attending let me open the chest and prepare for cannulation, but, unfortunately, the cases that i remember the most vividly are those where my skill/performance was substandard. We all have them, but the challenge is to learn from them and then learn to move on as a better surgeon.
The biggest impact my mentor had on my career is:
I was blessed with many great mentors--i will never forget the day when Eric Rose saw me copying articles on biliary surgery (i'm dating myself) and asked me, "is that really what you want to do with your life?" Fred Bowman's uncompromising commitment to technical excellence, Jim Malm's incredible sense of organization conducting the operation like a concerto, Henry Spotnitz's implaccable curiosity and Craig Smith's consummate humane excellence--i was fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from many great teachers.
The topic most important to advancing the field of CT Surgery is:
Innovation and quality improvement--i'm personally not much of an innovator, so my focus has been on helping to define and improve quality.
The most pressing issues impacting CT surgery are:
Global issues of how medical care is financed will impact the entire profession, but the specific issues critical to cardiac surgery relates to the need to actively engage in innovation--artificial intellligence, robotics, transcutaneous and less invasive techniques, scientific discovery, etc. to help solve the many unsolved surgical problems
Advice for Trainees:
Aggressively pursue those aspects of the profession which resonate most strongly with your interests, BUT, regardless of that, LEARN EVERYTHING YOU CAN! Time is short and precious and regulations have robbed you of the opportunity to manage your own time, so take advantage of every opportunity that you have to learn because you never know the exact trajectory of your career and where and in what situation you might find yourself--the more you have learned, the better equipped you will be.