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A Subject Expert: By Making Himself Available to the Media, Theodore Chow, M.D. is Building His Business While Helping Save Lives

Cover Story

Issue: September 2009

When cardiologist Ted Chow’s cell phone rang on the afternoon of June 25, it wasn’t another physician calling for a consult. It was Regional Medical Center of San Jose’s marketing department calling to see if Dr. Chow could make it to the television studios of the Bay Area NBC affiliate for on-air interviews about sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)—in about 20 minutes.

Information pouring out of Los Angeles seemed to point toward sudden cardiac arrest as the possible cause of the death of one of the world’s most famous entertainers, Michael Jackson. Every news outlet in the area was looking for subject experts to help localize their coverage, and Regional’s marketing director knew that Dr. Chow was an expert on SCA.

Pulling on his lab coat as he sprinted to his car, Dr. Chow made it to the studio with only moments to spare. His live responses to questions about cardiac conditions during the 5 p.m. broadcast prompted producers to ask him to stay for a second live broadcast at 6.

Formally known as Theodore Chow, M.D., F.A.C.C., Dr. Chow sees opportunities like this as a chance to educate the general public more widely about sudden cardiac arrest, and as an avenue to discuss tests that can predict risk and identify treatments that can reduce those risks.

Dr. Chow first gained experience as a subject expert during his 10 years as Director of Electrophysiology Research at the Christ Hospital-Linder Clinical Trial Center and as clinical cardiologist with the Ohio Heart and Vascular Institute in Cincinnati, OH. During his tenure there, Dr. Chow developed progressive patient screening programs for cardiac arrest and published many high impact papers on the subject, which helped attract media interviews. While television and newspaper interviews helped build Dr. Chow reputation, provided ways for him to reach a wide consumer audience about deaths he believes are highly preventable.

SCA is responsible for 300,000 to 400,000 deaths in the United States each year, accounting for half of all heart-related deaths and about one in seven of all deaths.

“Because successful resuscitation in the field from SCA is rare (only 5%), the most effective way to achieve reductions in those deaths is to focus on identification of those at high risk,” Dr. Chow says, “And that means helping educate the general community and the physician community about their options for testing for risk stratification.”

Educated and trained at Princeton, Johns-Hopkins and Mass General and Board certified in Electrophysiology, Dr. Chow plunged into research along with his practice. He was first author of “Microvolt T-Wave Alternans Identifies Patients with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy Who Benefit From Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy,” published online in the Dec. 12, 2007 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.

His presentation at the American Heart Association 2007 Scientific Sessions of the MASTER trial was widely covered in professional journals and publications, and its findings remain actively debated by scientists and physicians today. The trial which was among the most widely publicized Microvolt T-Wave Alternans studies

The intense media coverage of the MASTER trial reinforced for Dr. Chow the power of the media to communicate to large numbers of people. “It was one thing to see that a presentation like this could move the [stock] market because so many analysts were poised to cover the results. It’s another to think about how you can take research like this and make a difference in the knowledge and options of patients,” Dr. Chow says.

The Near-continuous interviews by the professional press at the time prompted Dr. Chow to explore how he could most effectively communicate the risks of sudden cardiac arrest and potential screening to a more general audience.

In professional circles, Dr. Chow was respected as a researcher and recognized by the American College of Cardiology, who selected him for its prestigious Young Investigator Award. He was recognized as co-author by the American Heart Association in its Young Clinical Investigator award.

“These awards almost always go to researchers at academic centers,” he says. “It was a huge hurdle for a private practice to engage in research of the scope and importance we were able to do.”

In demand for professional presentations, Dr. Chow served as faculty for scientific sessions of AHA, ACC and the Heart Rhythm Society. He became the public face of a physician-targeted marketing campaign for Cambridge Heart. St. Jude asked him to conduct professional education for physicians in Texas, California, Minnesota, New York and Nebraska, with a schedule of appearances that racked up plenty of frequent flier miles.

Back in Cincinnati, local media found the young researcher and physician had a presence and style that audiences and readers warmed to and, most importantly, understood.

“I talked with reporters informally so they could understand the subject, and then I worked with my colleagues so we could provide what reporters need. And what they need is a patient who can tell his or her own story, a test or procedure that is either brand new or that applies to a large segment of the community, and a physician who can talk about it without going over people’s heads,” Dr. Chow says.

In appearances on television stations and interviews with newspapers in the greater Cincinnati area, Dr. Chow was able to explain sudden cardiac arrests and segue into discussion of how non-invasive Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA) testing can help evaluate the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

“When patients are faced with a choice between walking on a treadmill or doing a more invasive test, more patients want to do the non-invasive test, holding on to the option for other tests once these results are reviewed. They also appreciate that the results are available immediately,” Dr. Chow says.

“When you’re trying to teach the community, it’s important, first, that you can demonstrate good patient outcomes. With that you can secure the endorsement of primary care physicians for the procedure and for the physician. It is not an overnight process. You have to be persistent and know it will take time to bring people along,” Dr. Chow says.

In Cincinnati, the local publicity and outreach to the professional community led to a significant increase in patients sent for screening. Dr. Chow notes, “This high volume screening meant that downstream ICD implantation was vastly increased. In that community, it transformed the environment and MTWA screening became the standard. It’s hard to distinguish what proportion of that volume was physician-driven or consumer-driven.”

His elevated profile led to public recognition that was an unanticipated and humbling experience for Dr. Chow. Peers nominated him for on-line recognition as one of the best cardiologists in the country. The Cincinnati Business Courier tapped him as a finalist for its annual Health Care Heroes award program.

“I never thought about those kinds of things until they happened, so it was serendipity that my profession and my passion about educating the community led to awards,” Dr. Chow says. “But I think most of us do what we do because of our commitment to our patients, not because of any awards.”

In 2008, Dr. Chow was recruited to the Bay Area by Regional Medical Center of San Jose. He serves as Medical Director of Electrophysiology and he presided over the opening of a state-of-the-art Electrophysiology lab there earlier this year.

“The first open house we held was for physicians, giving them an opportunity to experience the technology first-hand. Talking about technology is a great door-opener to deeper conversations about how my practice, the practice of other EP physicians on staff and the hospital’s facilities can improve patient outcomes for physicians,” Dr. Chow says.

In building his new practice in San Jose, Dr. Chow welcomes opportunities to be a subject expert for news media and to talk with community organizations. Dr. Chow recommends that physicians make sure their hospital marketing department is aware of their unique expertise and interests, so the staff can be on the lookout for media or community opportunities to feature a particular physician.

“In this Michael Jackson case, the hospital’s vice-president of marketing knew about my interests and background, and that I had experience doing television interviews, so she called the station about me just as the producer was trying to find a physician,” Dr. Chow says. “These opportunities can open up quickly, so being flexible about scheduling is essential.”

Developing relationships with professional peers is also an essential part of his practice, including making personal visits to other cardiologists and to referring physicians to discuss his experience, competencies and philosophy of practice.

Being successful involves more than just talking, though. “It’s important first to demonstrate good patient outcomes. If you’re not standing on quality, then your standing on…well, something else.” Dr. Chow admits that securing the endorsement of primary care physicians is not an overnight process. Persistence is key. “Changing clinical practice patterns is like steering a cruise ship, not a canoe.”

Dr. Chow says, “Regional’s physician liaison provides a great deal of support to physicians new to the area, scheduling appointments with other, more established physicians and accompanying me on many calls. If your hospital has a physician liaison, you’ll find they are eager to help doctors with calls and visits like this.”

As President of The Heart Group in San Jose, Dr. Chow continues his education efforts. In the next few months, he anticipates opening the first SCA screening clinic in San Jose.

“My goal is for each person in our community to know his or her risk for sudden cardiac death and for each person to know all the options available to help address their personal risk. Fewer people dying—that’s my goal.”

Becoming a Subject Expert Interview

Start with a specific area of expertise. Instead of positioning yourself as an expert on all things pediatric, for example, present your expertise on adolescents or preschoolers, childhood obesity or heart health.
Work with your hospital’s marketing department. Let the marketing department know you’re open to media interviews or community presentations on specific subjects. The marketing team can pitch your availability to news outlets for feature segments or in response to breaking news.
Think 3Ps: patient, procedure, physician. For feature segments, be prepared to identify a patient who can tell his/her story and who is willing to tell the world. For media interest, the procedure must either be new or must be of interest to a very wide audience, perhaps because of a celebrity tie-in. The physician, of course, is you.
Be media ready. A brief interview workshop is worth the investment of time. You’ll learn how to shape your answers for specific audiences, how to deflect incorrect underlying assumptions and how to control your answer (because you can never control the question). Some larger hospitals offer media training to physicians.
Be flexible. Interview opportunities come up suddenly, and the first hospital or physician who can fill a producer or editor need is most likely to be booked for the interview.
Be prepared. It will always take longer than you thought.

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