Q&A with Dr. Ty Gluckman – CurrentMD Cardiology
Dr. Ty Gluckman is the Curriculum Chair for K2P’s CurrentMD™ Cardiology product, where he helps to strategize and oversee the cardiology curriculum. He also contributes regular content on a variety of topics, including evaluation of chest pain and risk factor assessment.
He serves as medical director of the Center for Cardiovascular Analytics, Research, and Data Science (CARDS) at the Providence Heart Institute in Portland, Oregon, and an adjunct faculty member of the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr. Gluckman’s principal clinical interests include identifying, coordinating, and implementing cardiovascular care improvement strategies. He has authored or co-authored over 75 peer-reviewed scientific articles, reviews, and book chapters and serves as associate editor for Practice Guidelines and Clinical Documents for the American College of Cardiology (ACC). He also serves as chair of the ACC Solution Set Oversight Committee and was the lead developer for the ACC/AHA Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) Risk Estimator app (voted the best medical app in 2014). More recently, Dr. Gluckman helped to design the AnticoagEvaluator, BridgeAnticoag, ASCVD+, and LDL-C Manager apps.
We were able to sit down with Dr. Gluckman and ask a few questions we thought physicians would be interested to hear.
Q&A with Ty J. Gluckman, MD, MHA, FACC, FAHA
Where do you think we’re going in continuing medical education?
I think the one thing most learners would agree with today is that we have less time than ever before to dedicate to education. It’s overwhelming just to stay up to date with new information that’s coming out. As a result, I think we need to find ways for all learners–those that are early in their career and those that are later in their career–to ideally have their education simplified. That means having information that is consumable and easy to access on the go.
What excites you about K2P CME?
I love the fact that the K2P platform is constantly seeking out new ways to meet the needs of different learners. This includes those wanting to understand the basics, along with those who may want to find out what’s new at a national meeting or in a guideline. It’s also important that the information be accessible. This could be while driving to work or in between patients. You can track your progress, understand where knowledge gaps exist, and prioritize what is most important to you. All of this is can be found in a dashboard that’s very easy to navigate.
How has your career in cardiology been different than you expected?
I spent 15 years training at academic medical centers but joined a large community-based health system about 15 years ago. I love where I am and feel fortunate to work with some really talented clinicians. I never envisioned I’d leave academics, but am lucky to still partake in scholarly activities where I am.
What has been the greatest advance in the field of cardiology over the last five years?
Over the last five years, I’ve been particularly excited about an increased focus on cardiovascular prevention. There is so much more we can be doing to mitigate the most severe complications of cardiovascular disease and prevention plays a key role. I’ve often said that my greatest joy would be putting myself out of business. Fingers crossed that I’ll be able to see significant inroads in this regard over the years to come.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now?
Over the last year, a lot of my time has been consumed by research related to COVID-19. While so much remains to be learned, we’ve come a really long way in the last 2 years.
What was the greatest advice you were given by a mentor that still holds true today?
One of the greatest bits of advice that I was given early in my career was to make sure that you love what you do. For most of us, we get up and spend our days doing largely the same work. As such, it’s really important to do things that make you happy. Your patients will thank you for it.
I’ve also been fortunate over time to have some excellent mentors who have helped me prioritize what’s important in life. We all put in long hours in the work that we do. It’s imperative to make time for yourself and your family.
What career would you have chosen if you hadn’t chosen to become a physician?
Although I don’t spend enough time doing it, I love to cook. I thought about going to cooking school and realized a long time ago that it probably wasn’t something I could build a career around. But, I love taking cooking classes, going to markets, dabbling in the kitchen. It’s where I get my creativity out.
What is an interesting fact about you?
I’m fortunate to be surrounded by some wonderful people in my professional life. Even more important, I have some amazing people in my personal life. I have a fantastic wife who supports me in everything I do. I have two beautiful daughters, who are 14 and 11. And we also have a super cute puppy and a Guinea pig. Needless to say, things are busy at home.