Physician profile: Subhash Banerjee, MD, interventional cardiology, cardiovascular disease

A humble and dedicated physician, Dr. Banerjee is on a mission to keep hearts healthy through a combination of prevention, research and personalized clinical care. He is the Paul J. Thomas Endowed Chair in Cardiology and chief of cardiovascular research and innovation at Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital–Dallas. As a board-certified interventional cardiologist, Dr. Banerjee is internationally recognized for his expertise in minimally invasive treatments of coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease and transcatheter aortic valve replacement. He also serves as editor-in-chief of The American Journal of Cardiology.

You’ve practiced in North Texas for more than 20 years. Where did you get your start?

New Delhi, India—and I pinch myself that I get the opportunity to do the amazing things I do with wonderful people around me today. While I made many sacrifices to come here, this opportunity provided me by providence, chance and effort is something I do not take for granted. I want to make it count! If you can be of service and you can bring a little bit of happiness and improvement in someone’s life, it’s worth fighting for.

How do you keep your own heart healthy?

While this is not a recipe for everyone to follow, it works for me: I eat one meal a day. After work, I enjoy a dinner of mainly fish and vegetables, and this schedule allows me to stay focused on my patients during the day, when I make sure to stay hydrated. While I am heavily restrictive on carbohydrates and sweets, I do sometimes give in to my penchant for dark chocolate! Also, I exercise at Orange Theory three times a week—I like to see the measurable metrics to determine my progress—and I exercise on my own as well.

Your commitment to staying healthy is also for your patients—tell us about that.

At 58, I want to keep fit. I don’t want any distractions from my back, neck or knees when I’m in the cardiac catheterization lab. I wear 16 pounds of protective lead and stand for many hours to help my patients. My wife is a rheumatologist, and she tells me that the best hygiene for good joints is to minimize body weight. For me, it’s not an option; it’s something I have to do to continue to practice at the level I want to be for my patients.

How do you describe working at Baylor Scott & White?

Something I feel is deeply embedded in the culture of Baylor Scott & White is that everyone’s voice counts. Whether you’re the CEO or a nurse on the floor, everyone feels their voice matters. Nurses are not shy to suggest how they would do something. They care for our patients just as I do, and they are able to commit to making suggestions because they know they are contributing to the overall excellence here.

Do you have a personal hero?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. I grew up being enamored with detail. I never gave up believing that I was a sleuth in training. A doctor is nothing better than a sleuth—he or she needs to gather all the little facts to understand the full story.

Who are you reading today?

Yuval Noah Harari is my favorite author right now. I just finished his Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in my whole life.

Tell us about your family.

I was born to a middle-class family in New Delhi. My father was in business and my mother was a teacher. My brother is an engineer. I have two kids: My daughter is a cardiology fellow at Georgetown and my son is a senior at Georgetown. My wife is a rheumatologist and my first love! She was my classmate in medical school and one of the best decisions I ever made.