Fátima Rodriguez, MD, MPH

Fátima Rodriguez, MD, MPH, is currently a second-year cardiology fellow at Stanford University (Stanford, CA). A graduate of Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA), where she also earned a master’s in Public Health, Rodriguez completed her medical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA). She has published more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific papers and currently focuses on secondary prevention, access to care, and adherence to guidelines in underserved populations. Rodriguez will receive the 2016 Merck Research Fellowship Award at the American College of Cardiology meeting next month, and she has previously been recognized for both her research and teaching by the American Heart Association (AHA), the National Institutes of Health, and her institution. After training, her goal is to transition to faculty and split her time between seeing patients—potentially creating a Hispanic cardiology clinic in the Bay Area—and conducting research in cardiovascular outcomes and eliminating health disparities. 

What inspired you to become a cardiologist?

I was born in Spain, and we immigrated to the United States when I was 10 years old. My mom got very sick when I was around 14 and ended up being diagnosed with severe rheumatic mitral stenosis. I was impressed with how the cardiologist diagnosed her by physical exam and then referred her to lifesaving cardiac surgery. After that, I knew I wanted to be a doctor, and more specifically, a cardiologist. Fortunately I didn’t know how long or how challenging it would for me to achieve my dream, but I was very focused. English is my second language, so science and math always interested me. 

Why is research so important to you?

When I first started at Harvard Medical School, my main intention was to be the best clinical cardiologist I could be. But being around such motivated people and seeing different career paths showed me that I could be a really good clinical doctor and still pursue other interests. That’s the great thing about medicine—how you can build diverse career paths. I was a medical interpreter before I went to medical school, so I initially wanted to combine my interests and look at health disparities, particularly at what interventions we can use to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations. I would love to see my research change the types of patients included in trials to reflect the evolving population of the United States. I also hope to help develop simple interventions to improve access to medications and cardiovascular prevention. 

What has been your most meaningful clinical experience?

Last year during my first year as a cardiology fellow, I got called in the middle of the night to see a 26-year-old patient who didn’t speak English. His whole family was at his bedside, and they were new to the medical system. The team wanted a stat echocardiogram because he was “puffy.” I did the echo and realized that his heart was structurally abnormal and this was the first presentation of previously undiagnosed congenital heart disease. Ultimately, he was in the hospital for a long time, but with excellent care from a large interdisciplinary team he was able to get cardiac surgery and leave the hospital in great shape. Now he’s doing well, and his son wants to go to medical school.

Who has had the biggest impact on your career?

Broadly speaking, my mother has had the biggest impact in my career. When we came to the United States, she would say, “We’re so rich. The only thing we don’t have is money. Just study and focus on school and everything will work itself out.” That instilled in me the value of education. She inspired me to go into medicine because of her personal health issues, but the focus on academics really got me to where I am today.

Within medicine, I have been so fortunate as to develop an amazing cadre of mentors. What I’ve learned is that you really need a mentorship team. You need a career mentor, research mentors, a sponsor, and a junior mentor who watches you as you navigate the academic process. I don’t think there’s one person who can do it all. Also, there are not too many women in cardiology, so it has been good to have female mentors who can provide guidance on work-life balance.

If you were not a cardiologist, what else could you see yourself doing?

If I was not in medicine, I would have been a teacher—probably a science teacher. I think teachers really change people’s lives. My teachers in high school inspired me to dream big and value lifelong learning. But the nice part of medicine is that I can still be an educator and a researcher while taking care of patients.

What her nominator Robert Harrington, MD, says:

Fátima came very highly recommended to Stanford for her cardiology training. She has won several research awards, including acceptance last summer to the AHA 10-day epidemiology course, which has served as a career launching point for a number of AHA-funded clinical investigators. Starting in July, she will be chief cardiovascular fellow at Stanford and will spend next few years as a research fellow working with a group of us in clinical research. She’s super talented, an emerging leader, and all-around outstanding talent to watch rise. 
 

* To nominate a stellar cardiology fellow for the Featured Fellow section of TCTMD’s Fellows Forum, click here.