Smith, Joseph, Andrew

My favorite bedtime story was about a young rabbit who fell in a hole and broke his leg. I was the hero who came along, mended his leg and safely dispatched him to his anxiously awaiting mother. This may have been one of the reasons I was destined at a young age to do medicine (although not veterinary strangely enough). I was even called Marcus Welby at times, for those of us old enough to remember that popular TV show. \n My favorite subject in school was science, and I was immediately captivated by the technology of cardiology when it came time to make my subspecialty choice. It was at that juncture that I moved from my country of birth, Ireland, to Cleveland to pursue higher training in cardiology at Cleveland Clinic. It helped that my wife, Laura, came with me on that adventure, and we are now 30 years married and three sons richer. \n I dabbled in research, but felt it was too abstract to sustain me professionally. We have the incredible privilege in medicine to meet new people every day and see what is going on in the world. We also have the incredible honor to help those same people. The path is not always easy, but visibly moving people toward improved health is immensely satisfying. \n Following a period in training, we moved to Wilmington in 2000 in search of better weather and a place to raise our family, and we have never looked back. We love the coast and enjoy being at the beach. \n My work in cardiology mainly centers around diagnostics. I believe, like in real estate where location is key, in medicine, diagnosis is key. All effective efforts at treatment stem from a firm diagnosis. I remain committed to maintaining and growing the seeds of medical knowledge that were planted in medical school and committed to having the courage to meet our patients where they need us.

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