Dr. Michael J. Davidson, 44, Pioneer of Hybrid Endovascular Cardiac Surgery

January 27, 2015—Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is mourning the death of Dr. Michael J. Davidson, age 44, a cardiac surgeon and Director of BWH Endovascular Surgery. Dr. Davidson passed away on January 20, following a shooting in the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center. The loss of this visionary, talented, and caring physician is felt deeply in Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology, throughout the entire Brigham community and broader health care community and by countless patients and families who received remarkable care and experienced his unwavering compassion, stated BWH.
 
Dr. Davidson is survived by his wife, Terri Halperin, MD, who is pregnant with their fourth child; children Kate, Liv, and Graham; parents, sister, and other family members and friends. The Dr. Michael J. Davidson Family Fund has been established, which is available here. 

Dr. Davidson is remembered as an exceptionally talented surgeon, brilliant thinker, consummate caregiver, and perhaps most of all, as a man who deeply cared for his family, patients, and colleagues.

“The world is a better place because of Dr. Davidson,” commented BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD, in the hospital’s notice. “Let us honor our dear colleague’s memory and legacy by treating each other with kindness and providing the best possible care to those who come to us in need.” The full BWH notice is available on the hospital’s website.

Dr. Davidson graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and then trained at Duke University and BWH. He joined the BWH staff as an associate surgeon in 2006. He was a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and a 2008 fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

BWH noted that Dr. Davidson was unique in his field, as he sought training in interventional cardiology after completing his training in cardiac surgery. He was part of the team that performed the hospital’s first tricuspid valve-in-valve procedure and was involved in establishing BWH’s cardiac hybrid operating room, one of the most advanced operating rooms in the country with technology that allows for combinations of surgical and interventional procedures for patients who need both as part of their care. Dr. Davidson was instrumental in the planning of these rooms. The operating room will be named The Dr. Michael J. Davidson Cardiac Hybrid Operating Room in his honor.

Dr. Davidson’s obituary and remembrance page in The Boston Globe is available here. The Brezniak-Rodman Funeral Home in Newton, Massachusetts, is also providing an obituary and guestbook for remembrances of Dr. Davidson. 

Additional remembrance from TCT: Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics was reported by Yael L. Maxwell for TCTmd. Dr. Davidson was a significant presence at the annual TCT conference.