FEATURE
elected office for more than 30
years and has been in Congress
for nine terms. He has coasted
along without a serious challenge
for a long time. He’s voted with
President Trump 100 percent and
has not modified or moderated
his positions at all. And, though
he represents a district with a
strong health-care and research
focus, he supported the American
Health Care Act – it’s hard to
reconcile those things.
This election would involve an
outsider running against a classic
insider, and I hope it brings
about real change.
What has the race been
like? Were you surprised by
anything about politics?
It’s been busy. When I announced
my congressional run, people
would joke, “Oh, you didn’t have
enough to do already?” I’d say, “I
have a few extra minutes a day, I
figure I might as well fill those,
too.” My day-to-day life has been
similar, but I’m still finding the
balance between seeing patients,
managing trials, and having time
for my family. My wife and I have
three young kids (ages 9, 5, and
2), so our lives are full.
Unfortunately, I will have to
hand off some of my research
responsibilities to my capable
colleagues. My research team
has been very supportive and
are helping pick up the research
slack so that we’re able to keep
the research studies going 100
miles an hour. Patient care,
of course, is paramount and
will never take second place to
outside interests.
One drawback of this
undertaking is having less
contact with the people I care
for and who care for me. Still, it’s
necessary for me to do, and my
patients understand that I am
running to try to improve health
care for the wider population.
It’s similar to why I enjoy doing
clinical research: If I’m seeing
a patient in the office, I can
help that one person; if a trial
succeeds, I can potentially help
hundreds or thousands of people.
One of the things I’ve learned
is how important fundraising
really is. As a constituent, it
wasn’t something I thought of;
I’d get emails or phone calls
asking for donations, without
understanding how essential
these are. Even small donations
can help build a movement
– that’s something American
Society of Hematology members
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“This election would involve
an outsider [and] a classic
insider, and I hope it brings
about real change. ... This is
not a moral crusade – we’re
in it to win.”
who are interested in politics
may not know.
Will it be a tough race in
your district?
Texas’s 7th Congressional
District encompasses an area of
Houston with a large population
of people who are connected
to the medical field through
the Texas Medical Center, a
medical complex that the Texas
legislature established in 1945.
The center contains medical
schools, research facilities, and a
number of hospitals in a tightly
packed area.
It’s a heavily medicine- and
science-oriented district. It’s
also a changing district. Twenty
or 30 years ago, Texas tended to
vote heavily Democratic; over
the past two or three decades,
that trend has reversed and we
have gone heavily Republican.
That has been shifting recently,
though. In the 2016 presidential
election, Hillary Clinton carried
the district – a district that Mitt
Romney won by more than 20
points in the previous election
cycle. I think that is a reaction to
the disrespect for science and the
handling of health care expressed
by Republican legislators. I
also think it speaks well for the
7th district’s chances to elect
somebody with my background.
If you win the election,
what will your first
priorities be?
Obviously, I would want to
continue to work on health care. I
think that the Republican efforts
to repeal the Affordable Care
Act are the opposite direction in
which we need to be moving. I am
a lymphoma specialist, so all my
patients, by definition, have pre-
existing conditions. They don’t see
me unless they have a diagnosis
that would put them at risk for
losing health-care access if the
pre-existing condition protections
were dropped. And if people lose
their insurance, they will be less
healthy, be less productive, and
have shorter lives. So, trying to
expand access to care and reduce
costs of care would be my main
priorities.
Because I also wear the hat of
a researcher, I would focus on
increasing funding. I’ve received
research funding from the
National Institutes of Health,
so I know how critical that is
for making progress in finding
new cures. Medical research
is also an industry that creates
thousands of jobs.
However, it’s not a perfect
system. Writing and designing
clinical trials have shown me that
there is room for improvement
in the ways that we conduct
research in the United States.
Much of our research is funded
by private companies that have a
financial interest in the outcomes
of that research. Often, they are
seeking a new drug approval,
rather than seeking cures for
chronic diseases. These don’t
have to be mutually exclusive
goals, but I think we need to
change the metrics for success.
In U.S. community practices,
97 percent of patients with cancer
receive the standard of care.
Only three percent participate
in clinical trials. We would not
need to radically rewrite research
to accelerate progress; even an
increase to six or 10 percent
clinical trial participation would
mean a significant push forward
in our ability to search for cures.
out there by taking a political
position, and second, it means
putting your work on hold – and
grants and research don’t do well
when put on pause.
If you’re interested in
participating in politics, you have
to be passionate about it and you
have to be determined to win. The
way to do that is building a good
team and listening to their advice.
Do your patients know
that you’re running for
Congress? If so, how have
they responded – especially
those who don’t share your
political beliefs?
I’m not hiding the fact that I’m
running for Congress, but I’m
also not bringing it up with
patients in the clinic. I don’t
want politics to have any impact
on the care that I’m delivering to
my patients.
As patients learn about my
campaign, though, they have
generally been supportive.
They’re mostly worried about
whether I’ll be able to keep
taking care of them if I win.
A number of my patients
don’t share my political beliefs.
During last year’s 24/7 coverage
of the presidential election,
many would try to engage me
in a political discussion, but
doctors have to remain apolitical
in the clinic. I would deflect
their comments and return the
subject to their health. I may say,
“I appreciate different opinions,
but that’s not why you’re here
to see me. Let’s get back to the
important issue here in the room:
helping fight your cancer.”
I haven’t yet had any patients
leave the clinic or change doc-
tors, and I think that’s because of
the personal relationships we’ve
formed. We may disagree on a
specific policy, but my patients
recognize that there is more to
me than my political beliefs. ●
Do you have advice for your
hematology colleagues
who want to get involved in
politics?
It’s important to get help. You
have to talk to people, like the
members of 314 Action, who
have done this before and are
knowledgeable about the process.
Doctors and scientists have a
lot to lose by running for office.
First, it means putting yourself
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