Beloved cardiologist, leader remembered for contributions

MUSC has lost one of its greats, and the impact has resounded not only through the hospital halls, but also throughout labs and classrooms.

Peter C. Gazes, M.D. was a doctor’s doctor. Old school in some ways, he believed in the hands-on approach to patient care. No sitting in front of the computer screen asking the patient to tell him what was wrong; if he wasn’t listening to a patient’s stomach sounds, he was thumping their muscles or assessing the sclera of their eyes.

“This,” he said to a small group of proteges one day during patient rounds in 2000, “this is how you examine a patient. Doctors don’t touch patients anymore. That won’t do. We have to get doctors away from computer screens and back to the patient.”

And while that might have been considered old-fashioned medicine in today’s terms, he also was always eager to digest the latest techniques, trends and studies. Combining the best of both worlds, that level of curiosity, caring and skill led his patients, colleagues and students to respect and adore him.

When President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS, learned Dr. Gazes had died, he reflected on the many years he spent getting to know, work with and learn from such an “incredible man.”

“Dr. Gazes was a first honor graduate of MUSC’s School of Medicine and had the distinction of being the first board-certified cardiologist in South Carolina, as well as being the founder and director of the nationally recognized MUSC Division of Cardiology. He was a remarkable person, a beloved physician, honored teacher and mentor and tireless advocate for MUSC who left an enduring mark on the field of cardiology in addition to thousands of patients, students and colleagues.”

The inaugural director of the Division of Cardiology, Gazes’ countless contributions continue to leave a mark. A life well lived and career well spent, he wasn’t satisfied with merely saving lives. He sparked discussion, took cutting-edge research from the bench to the bed, shared his insights through innumerable publications and inspired generations of future physicians. Dr. Gazes promoted the concept of prevention well before it was popular to do so.

Thomas Di Salvo, M.D., the Volpe SmartState Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Biomarker Development and Molecular Proteomics and director of both the Division of Cardiology and the Heart and Vascular Integrated Center of Clinical Excellence, said Dr. Gazes will be missed by friends and colleagues. When Di Salvo joined the MUSC family in 2015, he counted himself as fortunate to have gotten to know and spend time with Dr. Gazes.

“I was touched several months ago after Dr. Gazes made his last visit to his office on the first floor of the Gazes Building to remove some personal effects to have a few moments to review some of the many manuscripts and personal papers left behind in his office. Dr. Gazes had the distinction of being one of the last iconic clinical cardiologists with the intellect, clinical experience, drive and passion for learning to publish a single–authored textbook of cardiology — which had four sequential and successful editions. His bookshelves contained carefully stacked reprints of some of his most important papers, papers that provided foundational insights and observations in clinical cardiology and the translational research areas of the day,” Di Salvo said.

“It was humbling indeed to review the fruit of such a long, productive career and the output of such a fertile, inquisitive and brilliant mind. There were also touches of his flashing humor and storytelling in his office — collections of anecdotes and tales that rekindled fond memories of his vibrant, irreverent wit that I was fortunate to experience at a late phase of his life and which his many friends experienced throughout his life. There were tasteful works of art, particularly Greek statuary and portraits that echoed his childhood and proud Greek heritage. True to the ancients, he cultivated many interests — science, literature, humor, golf.  You had to know him only for a brief time to realize the abiding place in his heart he reserved for his family.”

Charismatic and funny, Dr. Gazes always had a story to share. It endeared many to him and led to countless friendships.

Tim Hayes of Little River, South Carolina, was his patient for eight years. He and Dr. Gazes shared a love of golf, the classics, family and good quips. Appointments that should have lasted 20 minutes often lasted hours as the men regaled each other with tales of their latest scores on the links, where their travels had taken them and whose grandkids had done what. 

“I met him in an elevator one day, and I said, ‘Dr. Gazes, this whole joint is named after you.’ He laughed and said, ‘Yeah, I’m the Strom Thurmond of Medicine.’ I was there that day to see someone for A-fib. We got to talking, and by the end of the ride, he was my doctor. I was one of his last three patients. It was a senator, a mayor and me,” Hayes recalled fondly.

“Pete was so fantastic. I remember the micrometer he always wore. His mother gave it to him when he graduated from medical school. Finally, one day he called me and said, ‘Tim, I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’re my last patient, and I have to put you in the care of Dr. Butler, a wonderful doctor up in your neck of the woods. It’s time for me to hang up my stethoscope.’”

“While I knew the news was coming, I also knew there would never be another like Pete Gazes. We stayed in touch, and I was heartbroken when I learned that he had passed. He might have been small in stature, but that man was mammoth in spirit — when he walked in a room or opened his mouth, everyone stopped. Everyone listened. Everyone wanted to be around him. I loved him to pieces.”

That admiration is felt deeply and widely. Many, giants in their own fields, remain in awe of the man and physician he was. He was a legend.

Raymond Dubois, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the College of Medicine, was one such admirer.

“Though I am relatively new to the MUSC family, I join many others in my deep appreciation for the wonderful legacy of Dr. Gazes. His contributions to teaching, research and clinical service at MUSC are profound. No one has done more to promote cardiac care in the state of South Carolina. Our cardiology program, research efforts and so many other areas benefited greatly from his vision and commitment to excellence, and he will be missed greatly.”

Dr. Gazes taught everybody back in the day, said an old friend. He ran cardiology, and if you were a medical student, Pete Gazes taught you. Today, doctors 30 and 40 years into their medical careers remember the impact he had on their lives and education.

Chuck Davis, III, M.D., College of Medicine Class of 1981 and president of the College of Medicine Alumni Association Board of Directors extended his heartfelt sympathy and condolences when he heard the news. 

“Dr. Gazes will always be remembered by all of us as an exemplary clinician with incredible patience and compassion and an incredible gift for teaching! His impact on thousands of MUSC-trained physicians goes without saying, and he will always hold a special place in our hearts.”

Michael Zile, M.D., the Charles Ezra Daniel professor of medicine at MUSC and director of cardiology at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, has been a longtime friend, colleague and admirer of Dr. Gazes. In 2003, not long before Dr. Gazes stopped seeing patients, Zile penned an article about the tremendous impact Dr. Gazes had on him and many others, in addition to cardiology at large. We share it in its entirety.

Peter C. Gazes: Physician, Teacher, Scholar

No one in South Carolina, perhaps no one in the Southeast, has done more to promote the  advancement of cardiac care, to educate those who provide this care, and to open the frontier of investigation into cardiac disease than Peter C. Gazes. For more than forty years, Dr. Gazes has led the field of cardiology at MUSC. We, who are his students, his colleagues, and his patients gratefully salute him for his leadership, boundless enthusiasm, and his friendship.

Peter C. Gazes, M.D., was born in rural Matthews, South Carolina, in 1921. He received his primary and secondary education in Charleston and earned his Bachelor of Science degree at the College of Charleston. He was the first honor graduate at MUSC in 1944. After a year in the Navy as a Lieutenant JG, he completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiology at the Philadelphia General Hospital. He returned to MUSC, was rapidly promoted from assistant to associate to full professor, and then for eighteen years was the director of MUSC’s Division of Adult Cardiology in the Department of Medicine.

Under his leadership, cardiology at the Medical University grew to become recognized and respected both for its excellence in clinical care and its innovation in cardiovascular research. During this period of time, he trained more than 50 cardiologists, many of whom currently practice in South Carolina, Charleston, and MUSC. He taught countless medical students, residents, nurses, and attending physicians here at MUSC. He continues to maintain an active role in these educational endeavors.

In 1982, he was named Distinguished University Professor and assistant dean for alumni affairs. Today, while he insists he is reducing the pace of his practice, he continues to be sought out for his superb clinical care and singular teaching through didactic lectures, small group seminars, and his many publications. He continues to provide state and national education as program director for a three–day cardiology seminar sponsored by the American College of Cardiology, which this year held its 25th Annual Update: Cardiology for the Primary Physician, Managing the Cardiovascular Patient.

Dr. Peter C. Gazes has been recognized for his seminal skills in teaching, clinical care, research, and leadership through the many awards and citations he has received over the years. He is an active member of a number of local, state, and national organizations. He has been a member of a number of editorial boards for prestigious scientific publications. 

His accomplishments include:

• National Heart, Lung and Blood Advisory Council membership.
• The Association of University Cardiologists.
• Executive Committee of Council on Clinical Cardiology of the American Heart Association.
• American College of Cardiology, Governor of South Carolina.
• South Carolina Heart Association, President.
• Alpha Omega Alpha, Medical University of South Carolina.
• Excellence in Teaching, multiple Golden Apple Awards.
• National Gifted Teacher Award, American College of Cardiology.
• MUSC Health Sciences Foundation, Teaching Excellence Award (Educator-Mentor).
• Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award.
• Distinguished Alumni Award, College of Charleston.
• Distinguished Faculty Service Award, MUSC.
• Honorary Doctorate Degree from The College of Charleston and The Citadel.
• The Order of the Palmetto (Highest State of South Carolina Honor).
• The Order of the Silver Crescent (State of South Carolina Honor).

Dr. Gazes’ scientific career has spanned more than 40 years. His first publication appeared in 1945 and his most recent publication in 2001. He has authored more than 300 full–length articles, abstracts, book chapters, and books. Perhaps the book that has had the largest educational input is “Clinical Cardiology.” Its first three editions focused on “A Bedside Approach;” his most recent edition, “A Cost Effective Approach,” has focused on the changing realities in the practice of medicine.

His research efforts have focused on the most important disease process in cardiology, that of ischemic heart disease, its causes, its consequences, methods to assess risk, methods of active prevention, detection, diagnosis, and prognosis. He has been an active contributor to both the Charleston Heart Study and the Coronary Drug Project.

These nationally funded studies examined risk factors for the development of cardiac disease, the effects of race on these risk factors, and the effect of strategies to treat and prevent cardiac disease that are consequent to these risk factors. Publications that have resulted from this work have been published in the most prestigious cardiac and general medical journals. In addition to these studies, he was an active contributor to a number of randomized clinical trials including the Beta Blocker Heart Attack Trial Research Group.

Dr. Gazes has been a fervent advocate for cardiac prevention, including nutrition, exercise, and a balance between work and relaxation. He is a man who practices what he preaches. At age 80, he chooses a balance between working 3 to 4 days a week and playing golf 2 to 3 times per week. While his long game has become shorter with age, it is more accurate and his short game is legend. He has rightfully earned his nickname as “Pete the Putter.” Always the teacher, he frequently plays with, instructs, and encourages both his grandchildren and the cardiology fellows in lessons of life and the fairway. He carries an aspirin in his pocket. He exercises regularly and never strays from a heart healthy diet.

I first met Dr. Gazes when I joined the MUSC faculty as an associate professor. He welcomed me into the division, supported my efforts, and always provided a source of insightful advice regarding patient care. I often discuss my most difficult cases with him. He always has new insight, allowing me to add to the quality of the care of my patients. He remains unquenchably curious, frequently asking me what I have learned and what I can teach him about the research that my collaborators and I in the Gazes Cardiac Research Institute have performed (examination of cardiovascular pathophysiology and molecular and genetic control of disease based on changes in cardiovascular pathophysiology): How could he use this new knowledge to improve the care of his patients?

His portrait hangs in the lobby of the building and the research institute that bears his name. While his contributions will be remembered and have been acknowledged in this honor, his real legacy will live on in the men and women whom he has educated, the patients whose health he has improved, and in the practice of cardiology he helped to advance.