Meet Dr. Kurt R. Schumacher, M.D.

Q & A WITH DR. KURT SCHUMACHER, M.D.

Q: What made you decide to go into medicine and focusing on specifically pediatric heart transplantation?

A: In medical school, I chose pediatrics because I valued and admired the resiliency of children.  They were much more rewarding to take care of.  During residency, I initially thought I would be a general pediatric intensive care physician, but the more experience I gained, the more I realized I was most fascinated and challenged (in a good way) by pediatric cardiac intensive care patients.  When I realized I could spend my career focusing on critically ill children with heart failure, I knew that was where I belonged.

Q: What new emerging technologies are most exciting to you personally/professionally?

A: I think we are on the verge of developing sophisticated intensive care monitoring that can alert us to patients who need interventions before a regular clinician can perceive them.  I think this will lead to lives saved in children with heart failure, acute rejection, and other critical heart diseases.  I also think that donor organ extra-corporeal support and rehabilitation have the ability to dramatically expand our donor pool and save lives.

Q: What area would you like to see more research funding?

A: Of course I would say pediatric heart transplant outcomes, but the real answer is we need more research funding for all childhood illnesses.  The amount of money devoted to child health research is a tiny fraction of what is devoted to adults.  Every single pediatric disease needs more funding.

Q: On a more personal note, what was your favorite toy growing up?

A: I had the Millennium Falcon and the Ewok Village.  They got a lot of my attention.  Also my baseball glove.

Q: As a child, what were your favorite tv shows or Disney movies?

A: For movies, Star Wars and Dumbo.  I will argue that Dumbo (the one from 1941) is one of the greatest movies ever made.  I liked the Muppets and Mr. Wizard on TV.