Dr. Tom Heywood entered Servite in fall of 1967. He excelled in academics and seemed headed toward science and engineering. However, a senior year religion class taught by Mr. Robert Cotton profoundly shaped his future.
“Mr. Cotton was the best teacher in my decades of education. He gave me tools to become an adult Christian in a secular world,” said Tom who felt his faith gave him another way to view the world.
Tom was so influenced by Mr. Cotton that he majored in philosophy at UC Irvine. With all of his papers having to do with God, he switched to theology at Loyola University in Chicago. As graduation drew near, his love for science beckoned. “I thought theology and philosophy might be very good preparation for being a doctor,” he said. “So, I went an extra year to get my science classes and was accepted at UC San Diego Medical School.” Tom became a cardiologist and developed an interest in heart failure. He started a clinic at Loma Linda Medical Center in 1992 and became an expert in the emerging subspecialty of heart failure. In 2005, he was offered a position as Director of the Heart Failure Recovery and Research Program at the prestigious Scripps Clinic.
“My specialty of Advanced Heart Failure did not exist when I was in training,” Tom said. “A number of us ‘invented’ it over time so that it is now a recognized specialty.”
At Scripps, Tom began an artificial heart program (Left Ventricular Assist Device) which consisted of a nurse practitioner and himself. Over time, he built a team of heart failure doctors, heart surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurses. He started a training program for heart failure doctors.
Tom is board certified in Advanced Heart Failure as well as in Cardiovascular Disease and Internal Medicine. He supervises heart failure services for Scripps hospitals and is co-director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic. He conducts research on heart failure and renal dysfunction, implanted heart failure monitors, and improving patient outcomes. He is internationally recognized for authoring more than 80 publications and lecturing worldwide on cardiomyopathy treatment.
“I think I was supposed to be a doctor,” said Tom. “I love my patients.
His goal is to create a heart transplant program at Scripps. Another project is to allow patient follow-up via telemedicine, thus reducing travel time and improving care for his patients.
“I think I was supposed to be a doctor,” said Tom. “I love my patients. I integrate my brain, my heart, my soul in what I do every day. My understanding of Christ’s teachings, shaped by Robert Cotton, help me every day to care for patients and their families in extreme circumstances.”
Tom and his wife Stephanie live in Solana Beach. He has raised three daughters, Kazia, Magda and Janina and is a happy grandfather.
For his leadership in helping create the specialty of heart failure and for a career of caring for patients in extreme circumstances, Servite will present Dr. Tom Heywood with the Distinguished Alumnus Award at the Excellence in Leadership Dinner February 24th. Go to srevitehs.org/excellence for more information.
