PHYSICIAN PROFILE
Dan M . Meyer , MD
Heart surgeon reports for new duty .
or nearly three decades , Dr . Dan M . Meyer , chief of cardiac transplantation and advanced cardiac circulatory support at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas , has provided lifesaving care for patients . At the young age of 63 , he is answering yet another call to serve — a strong personal mission to help his country . Now a lieutenant commander in the U . S . Navy Reserve Medical Corps after graduating from Officer Development School , Dr . Meyer is following his heart to provide his specialized expertise to communities in need .
You ’ ve devoted your career to helping people by providing lifesaving care . Why did you decide to also join the Navy Reserve ?
The opportunity to make an impact has been the driving force throughout my career and my nearly 30 years as a cardiothoracic surgeon . Whether that ’ s caring for patients , training residents or doing research , I ’ ve always tried to do something that was significant , even in some small way . The involvement with our nation ’ s Navy fulfills my purpose to have an impact , offer much-needed care and to be part of a mission much bigger than my own .
What will your service look like in the Navy Reserve ?
I drill one weekend each month with
my team and complete annual training two weeks a year . I am assigned with the Marines at Camp Pendleton in California , where I ’ m part of EMF Camp Pendleton , the expeditionary medical facility . In addition to serving at hospitals on base , we also train and run simulations for setting up mobile hospitals . I am one of eight cardiothoracic surgeons in the Navy Reserve , so I will also support my specialty ; if a full-time Navy surgeon gets deployed , I can serve in that person ’ s capacity .
What have you learned from the Navy that you are bringing to your career at Baylor Scott & White Health ?
In Officer Development School , we received extensive leadership training , which is helpful because everything we do [ as surgeons ] is about taking care of our teams in the operating room and in the ICU . I ’ ve also learned about “ military bearing ,” which is how you conduct yourself to bring credit to yourself and the Navy , projecting confidence and upholding standards . Now , if I ’ m going into a difficult situation , I stand up straight and think about how I ’ m an officer and that it ’ s my job to lead this team . For me , that has been very helpful .
What do you find most fulfilling about your “ day job ” at Baylor Scott & White ?
In addition to my passion for serving patients and embracing the challenge of treating the breadth of complex medical issues we see on a daily basis at Baylor Scott & White , what I really love about stepping in the hospital every morning ( or night ) is the spirit of my teammates — my shipmates — at Baylor . There is a positive , focused , caring and innovative feel throughout the organization , which keeps my daily experience at Baylor Scott & White so very much more than a job .
“ The involvement with our nation ’ s Navy fulfills my purpose to have an impact , offer much-needed care and to be part of a mission much bigger than my own .”
– Dr . Dan Meyer
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THE COMPASS / BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE FOUNDATION NEWS / FALL 2021