– How would you assess the situation in Armenia with regard to the field of osteoporosis in general?
When I first came to Armenia ten years ago, there was very little interest, and there was very little knowledge about osteoporosis. The doctors thought that this was something that happens when you got old. We had only one machine to measure bone density in the country. That was the situation ten years ago. Now, ten years later, we have about ten of these instruments. These are machines that allow us to safely measure how much calcium is in patient’s skeleton. And through this information we can determine whether that patient has osteoporosis. So, I have to say that many of the doctors in Armenia today are much more knowledgeable about osteoporosis than they were ten years ago. There is an awareness that this is an important disease in this country as it is all over the world. Armenia is no different in this regard than any other country. I think we have a lot more to do. One area that Armenia would be good to develop is a research infrastructure, doing research on issues related to osteoporosis here in Armenia, and that research structure can establish Armenia as a country that is contributing new knowledge to this field. And that is one of my goals – to have research projects, hopefully in association with Yerevan State Medical University.
–The profession of a doctor is very difficult, it requires great efforts, a lot of time. Please, share your formula of success.
I have been a doctor for many years. I went to Medical school at Columbia University. And my career has developed not in a way I thought. I was going to be just a regular doctor. But I was inspired by a teacher who gave me enthusiasm about research and the idea that I could do research, I could teach, I could advance knowledge and, at the same time, take care of patients. So, my career has been a mixture of what I jut said. I do a lot of teaching, I do a lot of research. I have also had a career of leadership. I ran our Division of endocrinology at Columbia University for 29 years. When I built my division, we had only 2-3 people. Now our division has 45 doctors. Today my division is one of the top divisions in the United States.
–How do you manage to combine your career, your professional life with personal life?
My personal and professional life is very hard to separate. My wife is also a physician. And she understands what I am doing. It’s very important when your spouse understands what you’re doing. I do a lot of work at night, I do a lot of travelling. My wife supports what I do. By the way, she has come to Armenia many times. She happens not to be an Armenian, but that’s okay (he smiles). She is an American but she knows more about Armenia than, I think, I do. She loves the country. Appreciation and understanding what your spouse is doing is the secret to a successful personal life and a successful professional life.
–Professor, what is your advice to future doctors?
My advice to young doctors is – first of all, do not worry on what people say about our field. By being a doctor, you have an opportunity to do many things – to go into practice, to research, to teach. Don’t be discouraged because it’ s a very-very fulfilling field.
The other thing I tell young doctors is that you always want to have a role model, some of who is older than you, with more experience. And you can say: “I wanna be like that person”. So, it’s a message of optimism, hope, inspiration. And never mind the hard work. Hard work is never hard if you enjoy what you’re doing!
–Do you have a favorite place in Armenia?
My center of Armenia is Yerevan. This is my meeting place, this is where I feel very comfortable. So, I feel like this is my home. When the plane landed in Armenia in 2007, I realized that this is home. It’ s a feeling that I will never have. My mother and father have both come to the Unites States from Marash, Western Armenia. My father came to the United States in 1922. That was 7 years after the Genocide. So, some of our family escaped. We are very proud of our roots.
–What is your favorite Armenian dish?
I don’t eat meat. In this country there is a lot of meat. I grew up in eating meat, but 20 years ago I stopped. Nevertheless, the fish here in Armenia is really good.
“Plav” is my favorite dish. It’s a very special dish. But I have never seen such kind of “plav” in this country. Rice “plav” is one of my favorite dishes. The other thing that’s fabulous about Armenia – there is no place in the world that has better cucumbers, tomatoes and cheese.
Author – Tatevik Ghazaryan
Photo – by Karen Serobyan