A century later, psychologist carries on a heart-focused family legacy

The footsteps of a family giant sometime echo in the career of cardiac psychologist Katie Sears Edwards.

Even though she never knew that giant — cardiology legend 保罗·达德利·怀特 — she feels her distant relative's influence.

A century ago, White, who died in 1973, helped found the 美国心脏协会. 在众多成就中, he is regarded as the founder of preventive cardiology for promoting the idea that lifestyle affects coronary artery disease. He's also remembered for his compassion and advocacy for the patients in his care.

“他对病人非常友善, 非常人性化地对待每个人, 这绝对是我一生难忘的事,爱德华兹说, an AHA volunteer and member of the Bay Area board of directors. "My whole work in cardiac psychology is about treating the whole person, 不仅仅是他们的心脏状况."

怀特就是总统德怀特·D. Eisenhower's cardiologist following his heart attack in 1955, 在他康复的过程中起了关键作用, 让艾森豪威尔成功连任. White published more than 700 scientific articles and 12 books, including the classic 1931 textbook 心脏病. He also worked extensively to describe a disorder involving the heart's electrical system, 现在被称为沃尔夫-帕金森-怀特综合症.

But for years, White was a somewhat mysterious figure to Edwards, who was born after his death. 通过她的母亲, 她了解了她的曾祖父, 胃肠病学家富兰克林·沃伦·怀特, 他和保罗·达德利·怀特的父亲是堂兄妹. Herbert Warren White) and had mentored him at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

One family story that left a lasting impression was her mom describing White's fascination with the heartbeat of whales.

“作为一个孩子, I envisioned him out there in the water with a stethoscope, 听鲸鱼的心跳,她笑着说. "He was interested in the electrophysiology of many different animals."

她还听说了怀特热衷于锻炼的故事. An avid walker and bicyclist who promoted a national program to improve heart health through physical activity, White is memorialized in the 保罗·达德利·怀特 Bicycle Paths that line the Charles River in Boston.

"My aunt told me that when he came to her wedding, he refused to drive to the reception hall. He walked there in 20 minutes while everybody else drove,她说.

“我母亲的家人, 怀特一家, 非常活跃, so being physically fit became a pretty important thing for me as well,爱德华兹说, who rowed competitively in high school and college and was captain of Stanford Women's Crew.

她外祖母的去世, 苏珊娜白, inspired her to become a hospice volunteer and then study health psychology. 今天, she's a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University and one of the few cognitive behavioral therapists in the U.S. 谁专攻心脏病学.

Her goal is to apply what's known about psychology to people who are adapting to big changes after a heart disease diagnosis or a sudden cardiac event.

"Often, they have a lot of anxiety and focus on the worst-case scenario,她说. "I try to help them appreciate the many resources we now have in cardiology and help them have a more optimistic mentality about coping with heart disease."

The power of positive thinking turns out to be a family trait, 正如爱德华兹在1986年读到这本传记时发现的那样 Take Heart: The Life and Prescription for Living of 保罗·达德利·怀特.

令她印象深刻的是“他非常乐观的态度!, 我相信这对他的病人有帮助,她说. “当我拿到博士学位的时候.D. 在心理学中, 因为我和病人一起工作过, I've learned how optimism can be an important factor in patients' recovery and their cardiac outcome."

Edwards also uses evidence-based strategies to help people improve health behaviors related to diet, 锻炼, 压力管理和睡眠.

作为美国心脏协会的志愿者, she hopes to educate health care professionals about the importance of high-quality mental health care for cardiac patients.

"It's such a cool feeling that 保罗·达德利·怀特 helped start the AHA, 现在我也参与其中了, 100年后,她说. “我真希望能见到他, 但我觉得有一种连续性, that we're both part of this long-running organization that does so much good for people."