Memories of TCT 1988 and Beyond: Marvin L. Woodall

San Francisco, CA—Marvin L. Woodall was the first chief executive officer of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation in 2006. Still actively involved in companies investing in new technologies in the cardiology arena, Woodall recently shared his memories of TCT through the years. 

What was your professional position at the time you attended the first TCT meeting? Why did you decide to attend?

In August 1988, I had just become president of Johnson & Johnson Interventional Systems Company (JJIS) and started doing my own due diligence in trying to identify real needs in the clinical community. As part of that due diligence process, I thought it was important to try to understand what was happening in the interventional cardiology community. I learned of this very first TCT meeting and decided to attend as an observer. 

Will you share a memory you have of the first TCT meeting? 

The most impressive memory I have was listening to Martin B. Leon, MD, conduct the meeting and listening to his opinions and his clear passion. Interventional cardiology was a bit of an embryo within the field of cardiology and a lot of research needed to be done to prove the efficacy and safety of new techniques, products and methodologies. There was a tremendous effort by a lot of people to solve the problems associated with atherosclerosis. 

I was struck by Leon’s quest for the truth—meaning his appeal for many more clinical trials to be conducted in the future, especially randomized, controlled trials. He really impressed me. At the end of the 2 days, I walked up to the podium after he had finished [speaking], and I introduced myself. I asked him if he would consider being my ex facto medical director for JJIS. I knew very little about the field and I thought, here is a bright young doctor who is very passionate about conducting research. I knew we had to do a lot of research in the areas where we were working, particularly stents. I had a feeling he would be a great guy to help lead the research and clinical trial efforts for the first stent. It proved to be true. 

Did you continue to attend TCT meetings throughout the past 25 years? How has the meeting changed throughout the years?

Yes, I have. The meeting has grown enormously from that first one. It has grown from an embryo meeting to the meeting for interventional cardiology in the world today. If you had to choose one meeting to go to as an interventional cardiologist anywhere in the world, you would choose to go to TCT because that is where a vast amount of education takes place covering all aspects of the field in multiple arenas, presentations and formats. You cannot get that at any other place. 

Are there any milestones in the meeting’s history that stand out to you? Things you will never forget?

The early milestone was the advent of live cases: watching cases conducted live remotely and televised [to the meeting]. 

What roles have you played at TCT?

My initial role at TCT was as a sponsor and exhibitor. Later, after I had retired from Johnson & Johnson, I became the CEO of CRF. In that role, I was primarily responsible for TCT. I attended all of the planning meetings, working with Gregg W. Stone, MD, Leon, and all of the staff at CRF. I am still on the board of directors at CRF.

What did you think when the meeting first moved to the West Coast?

I was involved in that decision process and I was very supportive of it for a couple of reasons. One, I thought we could attract more people from the medical device development community on the West Coast, which is an important hotbed of development. Also, we thought we could attract more attendees from Asian countries for whom the trip would be shorter than to the East Coast. 

What is your professional position now? What is your current connection to the field of interventional cardiology?

I am retired now, but I sit on the board of CRF and several other companies. 

What do you think the future holds for TCT?

TCT will continue to be the leadership meeting in this field. It has strong leadership, it has great vision, and the future is bright.