At the Heart of the Matter: Transforming Gratitude into Giving.

Abstract

At the Heart of the Matter: Transforming Gratitude into Giving Jon A. Kobashigawa When you’re a heart transplant cardiolo-gist, there’s a special kind of symmetry that happens with your patients. They come to you for a new heart, and you end up giving them a piece of yours. I love my job. I am the DSL/Thomas D. Gordon Chair in Heart Transplant Medicine, associate director of Clinical Affairs at the Smidt Heart Institute, director of Advanced Heart Disease, and director of the Heart Transplant Program at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. I take care of patients who are on the verge of death. With a successful transplant, they can walk out the front door appreciating everything around them anew. Seeing that transformation never gets old—it’s a miracle every time. In transplantation, a patient’s journey starts with a gift—with the selfless decision made by families during a time of profound grief to donate the organs of their loved ones. Patients know this. It is difficult to articulate their sense of gratitude, but it is profound. This gratitude often translates into a desire to give back somehow and opens the door to philanthropy. Approximately 74% of Cedars-Sinai donors are grateful patients—that says something about how our patients value the work that we do across the Cedars-Sinai health system. My program performs more adult heart transplants than any other program in the country (according to the United Network for Organ Sharing). Meanwhile, my institution, the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, ranks number one in L.A., number 1 in California, and number 3 in the nation for cardiology and heart surgery, according to U.S. News & World Report. That success represents both the investment of time and energy by our expert faculty and highly experienced staff and the investment our patients have made over the years to support our research and educational outreach efforts. Grateful patient philanthropy allows me to advance research by pursuing the most ground-breaking science, clinical trials, and emerging treatments that can be translated from the bench to the bedside. It allows me to educate and train the next generation of scientific and medical leaders by supporting highly competitive fellowships, residency, and training programs. It also allows us to build and expand facilities that better serve our patients and enhance their experience—and support important community programs that help underserved populations. Asking patients directly for a gift can be delicate, but I know how much their generosity accomplishes. Ensuring that these initiatives are supported is an important part of the work because this is what allows us to deliver the best patient care and best patient experience possible. [End Page 22] To me, the key to grateful patient philanthropy is building a rapport with patients as people—especially by listening. I’m in a busy field; time isn’t always a luxury. Giving attention to the “personal” and not just engaging around medical discussions is what creates connection and ultimately deepens trust. Often, patients will tell you exactly what they need from you, and it’s not always medical expertise they are seeking. Staying attuned and responsive to them, to their needs as people, goes a long way. By strengthening your relationship with the patient, you can inspire them to better comply with medication regimens and follow-up visits. It also creates space for mutual exchanges, with patients becoming comfortable asking about my interests and hobbies. This relationship allows me to talk about my research and provides a natural way to introduce the need for financial support. I am genuinely excited about the research we are pursuing, and I think my passion comes through when talking with patients. In my experience, patients like to hear about how research can help future generations and other people like them. I generally don’t do a hard ask, but rather I try to paint a picture of what’s possible with continued support. If a patient expresses an interest, I will suggest connecting them with our Development team, who are there to work with the patient to find the most meaningful opportunity for them to give back...