Rory Durand, MBBCh

Rory Durand, MBBCh, is a clinical cardiology research fellow at Mater Private Hospital and Cardiovascular Research Institute (Dublin, Ireland), where he will soon begin a fellowship in complex coronary interventions. Growing up in Northern Ireland the son of a general practitioner, he always had a goal of pursuing a career in medicine and fell in love with cardiology early. Durand earned his medical degree from University College Dublin, Ireland, and completed his internship at Galway University Hospital/Letterkenny University Hospital. He trained as a cardiology registrar throughout several hospitals in Ireland. Durand has aspirations to continue research in the interventional cardiology field, specifically regarding coronary calcium modification strategies. He is passionate about maintaining work-life balance, primarily through playing football with a local club he helped found.

What first drew you to medicine? To cardiology?

My father is a general practitioner and I have siblings who work in medicine as well. So it was something that was always on my mind. I grew up in Derry in Northern Ireland, where I went to St Columb’s College. Thankfully, I did well on my exams and was accepted into the undergraduate medicine program at University College Dublin. As far back as I can remember, I was interested in cardiology. My very first intern job was in Galway University Hospital as a cardiology intern. I then spent time working as a resident in cardiology in Australia and as a house officer in Derry. So I had great exposure to cardiology early in my career and I really enjoyed it. I knew from the start that I wanted to work in a specialty with a high volume of procedures and cardiology certainly lends itself to that.

Thinking back on your work so far, what has been the most meaningful experience for you?

As doctors, we are in a privileged position. On a day-to-day basis, we meet patients who are often vulnerable, and they place a huge amount of trust in our hands to do right by them. In that sense, there are meaningful experiences every day. We may see dozens of patients daily and perform procedures which are not without risk. So it’s really important to see things from a patient’s point of view and appreciate the privilege of the position we are in.

What do are some of the biggest challenges facing cardiology trainees right now?

Two challenges that cardiology trainees face today are keeping up to date with a rapidly advancing field and maintaining a healthy work-life balance whilst doing so. Even if you look back on the last 10 years, there have been massive changes in the way that we treat patients. I have found that attending local meetings and educational sessions is extremely helpful to stay up to date. For instance, I work at the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI), Dublin, where the Dublin Cardiovascular Research Forum meets on a weekly basis to discuss the latest advances in cardiology. We have been fortunate to receive talks from renowned, international leaders in cardiology over the past year. Trainees can quickly become absorbed in their training, but it’s essential to find time for other things as well. Finding that time can sometimes be a challenge when so much time is dedicated to training.

How do you maintain your work-life balance and keep stress to a minimum?

We talk about this a lot in cardiology and in medicine, and maybe we're not the best at implementing it. It’s important that you make a conscious effort to have something else in your life that you can do and focus on. Sometimes that means making a solid commitment to something outside of work. For me, it's football, or soccer in the US. I have always played football throughout my training. We have a local medical team called Dublin Hospitals Football Club, which I set up a few years ago with some of my friends and colleagues. It’s not just for those who want to play football. We have club photographers, a regular sports column, and coaches and others involved, so when my playing days are over, maybe I will try my hand at sports photography!

Is there anything specifically about your training in Ireland that you wish the rest of the world knew about?

There's a great camaraderie amongst medical staff in Ireland. Colleagues I've worked with throughout the years are always helpful towards each other. There's a great sense of community here not only between doctors, but also between all healthcare workers. Particularly at the CVRI, there's a great drive toward research and innovation, something I’ve noticed has really been growing in Ireland over the last few years.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from a mentor?

In my first year working as a doctor, a senior colleague advised that I make sure that I do something that I enjoy.

If you weren't a physician, what could you see yourself doing?

I would enjoy being involved in sports, so I could have seen myself as a physiotherapist for a sports team or a sports psychologist.

What his nominator, Robert Byrne, MD, says:

Dr. Durand has proved himself to be an extremely hardworking, reliable, capable colleague. He is fully trained and independently competent in diagnostic catheterization procedures and as first operator in coronary angioplasty. He also had the opportunity to lead out on our PCI outcomes registry working together with our study team. He is centrally involved in patient recruitment for multiple ongoing randomized and nonrandomized clinical trials (including FAST III and Nagomi Complex), has written protocols for a number of investigator-initiated clinical trials that are anticipated to start enrollment shortly (CYCLOPES, DUBSTENT-Diabetes), and has been centrally involved with preparing scientific presentations and manuscripts for publication.

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