Marjan Jahangiri, 48, professor of cardiac surgery at St George’s hospital in Tooting, is the only woman to achieve this position in Europe. She performs more than 300 operations a year. She lives in London with her husband, Jan Latham-Koenig, an orchestral conductor, and their 13-year-old son, Darius.
Can you describe your daily routine?
I get up between 6am and 6.30am, and my meetings usually start at 7.30am. From then on the day is very solid — lunch is usually at my desk. I often perform two operations a day, and between them I have lectures and research meetings. At home I have supper with my son, and one or two nights a week I’m on call, which may mean operating all night. Between 9.30pm and 11.30pm I do my research work and watch Newsnight. I often work weekends, too, but it’s always willingly. I think I have the most luxurious life, because my work is also my hobby.
What made you want to go into medicine, and how did you come to specialise in cardiac surgery?
I come from a medical background — both my parents were doctors in Iran. When I was training I found that cardiac work was the most challenging, and therefore the most rewarding. It is both clinical and scientific, and the margin of error is very narrow. You have to be very focused and single-minded, not to mention something of a perfectionist. It extends to how you organise your desk and your life. Most surgeons are very neat.
How does it feel if a patient doesn’t make it through a surgery, and how do you deal with it?
It’s absolutely horrible. As a surgeon, you are 100% responsible. You might be late getting to theatre because the lift breaks down, but if the patient dies, it’s still your fault. Losing a patient is the hardest thing about my job, in combination with having to inform the family. I try hard to rationalise each case, and we have lots of meetings and discussion about every death, which helps.
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Knowing so much about cardiac health, how do you look after your heart?
There’s a saying about the cobbler’s shoes always being broken... and I’m not a health fanatic at all. I believe in moderation and I am a fan of exercise and not overeating, but I really dislike fad diets — they put more strain on your heart in the long run.
How do you balance work with your family life?
I do lots of emergency work and my husband is away a lot, too, so I have to have a full-time person at home seven days a week. I spend a fair amount of time with my son — but I want him to learn about hard work and good values, and I hope I lead by example. If you add it all up, my husband is away nine months of the year, but we speak very often and I believe that if he were around all the time, I might not be able to do everything I want in my professional life. In terms of managing the home, I’m quite old-fashioned. Just because I also work, doesn’t mean I expect him to do “his share”.
What are the biggest challenges you face on a daily basis?
There are four to five levels of bureaucracy in the NHS to get the simplest things done. People who don’t work for the public sector in Britain don’t appreciate the freedom they have.
And what are the most important lessons you will pass on to your son?
To work hard and that we’re here to do some good, not just to take. I remember the Queen’s message the year of the financial crash, and her saying that of all the people she has met, the ones who are happiest are the ones who make the biggest contribution to society.
To what extent are you motivated by money?
Not at all. If the average volume of work for a surgeon is about 180 operations a year, I do about 350 — but we all have the same pay.
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What do you do to relax?
I play the piano for one hour each day, late at night. I think it helps my surgery, too — it’s technical in the same way. I also go to Richard Ward twice a week for a blow dry, where I do a lot of my research. They turn the music off for me and I use the time to go through all my academic papers. We joke that a lot of PhDs have come out of that salon.
The British Heart Foundation is celebrating 50 years of beating heart disease; bhf.org.uk/mbh