Pulling Back the Curtain
Robert Glassman, MD
In this edition, Robert Glassman, MD, talks about the “risky yet refreshing” transition
from clinical practice to the financial world and explains how grand rounds
saved his life. Dr. Glassman is managing director and vice chairman in the Global
Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Credit Suisse. Previously, he worked as
a consultant at McKinsey & Company and a private equity partner at OrbiMed
Advisors.
Dr. Glassman in his home office.
When you began your
career in medicine, who
inspired you to pursue
hematology?
I’ve been sparked by several
mentors from distinct phases of
my life. In science and hematol-
ogy, there are four who come to
mind. Douglas B. Cines, MD,
was my attending during my
internal medicine residency at
the Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania. He was a true
“triple threat” and the first
one who got me excited about
hematology.
Ralph Nachman, MD, was
chair of medicine at Weill
Cornell Medical College in New
York, and he was another hema-
tology triple threat who demon-
strated exemplary leadership. He
knew how to “cut to the chase.”
In any presentation, he methodi-
cally extracted key points of the
research or clinical case to share
with the audience. (Editor’s note:
Dr. Nachman also was the winner
of the 2016 American Society of
Hematology Basic Science Mentor
Award.)
Morton Coleman, MD, was a
creative and brilliant lymphoma
specialist at Cornell. I learned so
much from him about both he-
matology and life – wisdom that
he imparted in a down-to-earth
manner, splashed with wonderful
humor. During my training, he
was one of the few attendings who
strongly supported my quest to
enter the business world.
The late Hidesaburo
Hanafusa, PhD, who won
the 1982 Albert Lasker Basic
Medical Research Award for
his work demonstrating that
oncogenes come from proto-
oncogenes, played an important
role in my career. He took
me into his lab, even though
I hadn’t a shred of research
experience, and instilled in me
a deep appreciation for rigorous
scientific investigation.
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ASH Clinical News
Having explored a few
career paths already, are
there any other fields that
you could see yourself
pursuing?
Well, I have traversed four or
five careers already – clinical
medicine, laboratory research,
management consulting, and
public and private equity – but
all involved health care and/or
science to some extent.
Could I have been a great trial
lawyer? Or a judge? Or a chef?
I’m not sure, but I doubt it. Sci-
ence, innovation, and taking care
of people have always been my
unwavering passions. I always felt
privileged to be a doctor, touching
someone’s life at his or her most
tragic and needful moments. No
matter what I did, science a