alumni profile by Susan Reich
Going the distance
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ith 13 marathons and 13 Ironman triathlons under his belt, Jeremy Lazarus, MD ’68, has never been one to shy away from a challenge. So it
Photos: diane smutny
came as no surprise to his family, colleagues and friends when he took over the reins of the American Medical Association at one of the most contentious and critical moments in health care history. The nation was bitterly divided over health care reform; obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease rates were skyrocketing; and the escalating cost of a medical education was creating a critical shortage of primary care physicians by driving debt-ridden medical students into more lucrative specialties. These were just some of the issues confronting the medical profession when Lazarus began his tenure as the AMA’s 167th president in June 2012. It was not an undertaking for the faint of heart. But, for Lazarus— only “Today, you are starting the first leg in the marathon of healing, and your performance still depends on you—your dedication, the third psychiatrist in AMA history to be elected to the persistence and willingness to adapt to the changing contours of the course you’re running,” Lazarus said during his 2013 post and the first since 1939 — it was simply the latest Commencement address at the College of Medicine. in a long succession of daunting endeavors that he has enthusiastically embraced. In his inaugural address as AMA president, aptly titled “To Run aimed at improving health outcomes by targeting diabetes and cardiovasand Not Grow Weary,” Lazarus —who returned to the College of Medicular disease, to accelerating change in medical education and enhancing cine to deliver its commencement address on May 10 (see related story, physician satisfaction and practice sustainability by shaping delivery and page 24)— acknowledged the challenging course that lay ahead. payment models. “Now, some of you may know that I’ve run a race or two in my Lazarus also has spread the word about the Joining Forces initiative, time, but I can tell you, running 13 marathons or completing 13 triatha program spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama to assist veterans lons is something completely different than becoming the 167th presisuffering from traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder or dent of the AMA. This is much harder,” he said. “To improve health post-combat depression. outcomes, reform medical education and shape health care delivery This last initiative has special significance for Lazarus, who turned to and payment systems so that they work better for physicians—these are medicine—and then to psychiatry—in the wake of a personal tragedy. not modest ambitions. One of the most important lessons that I have “I was always interested in science,” he confides today, “but it was learned in medicine, in my pursuits — in my life — is the value of persisthe accidental death of my older brother when I was in college that was the tence.” real impetus behind my decision to go into a helping profession.” After that inaugural speech, Lazarus hit the ground running. A passage from his inaugural speech provides more insight into Over the next year, he spent more than 200 days on the road, logging Lazarus’ decision to specialize in psychiatry: “That tragedy fueled my desire thousands of miles as he crisscrossed the U.S. to talk to physicians and to do something that made a difference to people. I wanted to help repair policymakers about the AMA’s efforts to ensure sustainable physician shattered minds—to guide people through the minefields of depression or practices that result in better health outcomes for patients. personality disorders or crushing changes in circumstance. I wanted to help There’s been a lot to talk about — from the implementation someone who was troubled lead a fulfilling, normal and healthy life.” of the Affordable Care Act, to the association’s five-year strategic plan Lazarus, who was born in Chicago, began his medical journey as a
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Fa l l 2 013
Former American Medical Association President Jeremy Lazarus, MD ’68, talks about life at the helm of the country’s most influential medical organization
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One of the most important lessons that I have learned in medicine, in my pursuits — in my life — is the value of persistence.
During his year as president of the American Medical Association, Lazarus confronted no shortage of thorny and complex issues, ranging from the implementation of the Affordable Care Act to the association’s five-year strategic plan to improve health outcomes.
student at the College of Medicine. After a mixed medical internship at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, he headed west to the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, where he served as a chief resident and teaching fellow. He remained in the Denver area for the next four decades, building a private practice in psychiatry while serving as a professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Along the way, he assumed many leadership roles that prepared him well for his role as AMA president. From 2007 to 2011, he served as speaker of the AMA’s House of Delegates. A past president of the Colorado Medical Society, the Colorado Psychiatric Society and the Arapahoe County Medical Society, he is also a distinguished fellow and past speaker of the assembly of the American Psychiatric Association. The scope of his professional accomplishments is matched by Lazarus’ passionate pursuit of his avocations. An accomplished violinist, guitarist and saxophonist and a classically trained singer, he worked his way through college and medical school performing at weddings and bar mitzvahs. He continues to perform with two fellow physicians
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in Dr. Feelgood’s Folk Remedy—a trio that entertains audiences at AMA and Colorado Medical Society meetings with classic folk songs and original compositions such as “The Ballad of Sigmund Freud,” and a tongue-in-cheek tune about a colorectal surgeon. A father of three and a grandfather of eight, he still runs and swims whenever his schedule allows and enjoys riding a tandem bicycle with his wife, Debbie. On Commencement Day, Lazarus shared some of the wisdom he had gleaned from a life well lived while turning once again to running metaphors. “Surviving and thriving in medical school is a challenge that you have conquered. In that respect, you have run this race—and won,” he told the graduates. “Today, you are starting the first leg in the marathon of healing, and your performance still depends on you—your dedication, persistence and willingness to adapt to the changing contours of the course you’re running. The goal, as William James wrote, ‘is to improve the golden moment of opportunity and catch the good that is within our reach. That is the great art of life.’ To me, no calling in the world creates and sustains this art of life better than being a physician.”
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