FACULTYSPOTLIGHT
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF ANESTHESIOLOGY
Faculty SPOTLIGHT Miriam M. Treggiari, MD, PhD, MPH Paul G. Barash Professor of Anesthesiology
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By Ratna Swaminathan
nesthesiologist and eminent researcher Miriam M. Treggiari, MD, PhD, MPH, is very deliberate in going past ifs and buts to find ways that make a difference in the lives of her patients. “Volere é potere,” says Treggiari softly in Italian as she translates the old English proverb “where there is a will, there is a way” that has been her guiding mantra to navigate daunting research landscapes with obstinate persistence, enduring perseverance, and a whole lot of resilience. “I have always been very determined and not easily dissuaded from goals I intended to achieve.” Curiosity, intuition, and observation push her to question current approaches and test the limits of possibilities in research work. “It is incredibly rewarding because you can see the results of your work producing a direct benefit to patients. I like to think that I have saved many more lives with my research than providing direct patient care at the bedside,” says Treggiari, vice chair for research in the Department of Anesthesiology at Duke.
“I have always been very determined and not easily dissuaded from goals I intended to achieve.” Growing up near the Swiss-Italian border, Treggiari developed an interest in becoming a cardiac surgeon shortly after her father suffered a heart attack and cardiac arrest when she was just 11 years old. She resolved then that her future career would involve learning how to save him if this recurred. Interestingly, she assisted in his coronary revascularization procedure later in life. He is 88 years old and doing well, she informs with a smile.
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