the torch Winter 2014, Issue 4 | Page 25

ph ysici a n profile D A V I D P. M A S O N , M . D . E ar lier this fall, David P.  Mason, M.D. joined Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas as chief of thoracic surgery and lung transplantation. Dr. Mason’s specialty is non-cardiac thoracic surgery and he joins us from the Cleveland Clinic, where he spent 10 years in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Dr. Mason graduated cum laude from Harvard University and earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. He has extensive experience in lung transplantation and performs minimally invasive thoracoscopic, laparoscopic and robotic surgery. His vision is twofold: 1) to expand and grow the expertise in treatment of thoracic diseases at Baylor Dallas; and 2) to build a comprehensive Department of Thoracic Surgery that will serve as a referral center for Dallas and beyond. He is working to establish nationwide collaborations that will serve as the foundation for clinical research in thoracic oncology and lung transplantation. What brought you to Baylor? This was a tremendous opportunity for me to join a high-quality, forward-thinking, compassionate health care organization that is continuously trying to improve. The administration shared my enthusiasm for the tremendous growth potential at Baylor in thoracic surgery. Additionally, Dallas is a world-class city that is thriving and seems to be the perfect environment for the department to grow. What differentiates Baylor from other health care organizations? I think what sets Baylor apart is its dedication to continuously improve an already great medical center. Most importantly, the administration is sincere and focused on more than just the immediate bottom line. They are looking at what is best for Baylor and its patients in the long haul. What inspires you? My patients inspire me every day. I am amazed at the strength and grace with which they handle difficult news and difficult diagnoses, both for them and loved ones. I try to put myself in their shoes. I only hope that I can display the same level of courage when the time comes to confront my own mortality. I am constantly humbled as patients frequently face incredible adversity while staying so positive. I am continually reminded about the strength of the human spirit. The best idea I ever had was … marrying my beautiful wife, Judith, a pediatric anesthesiologist. We met in the ICU at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore while jointly caring for a patient. I asked her out to dinner and from then on, we have been inseparable. We are blessed to have four beautiful children: James, 8; twins Madeline and Olivia, 6; and Jonathan, 4. This year is a rough year for us. Judith and the children are still in Cleveland, and I am apart from them for the first time. They will be joining me in Dallas at the end of the school year. We see each other every two weeks but being apart from them is the hardest thing I have had to do in my life. I love my family – being a good husband and father is the most important thing in the world to me. Everything else is gravy. For more information about heart and vascular initiatives at Baylor, contact Elizabeth Denton at 214.820.4070 or Elizabeth.Denton@ BaylorHealth.edu. DR. DAVID MASON 25