Thumb through cardiologist Frank McGrew’s photo album from his recent trip to South Africa, and you’ll see him pictured not in whites, but camouflage. Kneeling in the dusky morning light, McGrew, the hunter, smiles proudly at the camera, posing with the impressive trophies he’s taken from the veldt while on safari: a bush hog, wildebeest, zebra, kudu… even the fearsome Cape buffalo.

 

Perhaps more unusual, though, is the photograph that features McGrew’s guide cradling the massive crimson heart of the buffalo. The robust organ, roughly the size of a soccer ball, dwarfs the man’s black, weathered hands. It is as magnificent as the animal itself. And it’s apt for McGrew, a doctor who has devoted his life to understanding how the heart functions, and how best to heal it when ravaged by disease.

 

McGrew balances patient care with his role as an investigator overseeing cardiovascular research at the Stern Cardiovascular Center in Germantown. McGrew joined the practice in 1970, convinced by founder Thomas Stern that he’d be able to pursue his passion: heart research.

 

Stern remained true to his word and McGrew helped build a research department that eventually gained national prominence. To date, the Stern clinic has participated in hundreds of heart drug and device studies, helping to advance the knowledge of everything from pacemakers to stem cell research.

 

The study of cardiology has come far in McGrew’s lifetime. His own father suffered a heart attack during his late 40s. And at that time, following a doctor’s examination at their home, there was nothing to be done but to send his father to bed. There he stayed, for an entire month.

 

“That was the treatment back then,” said McGrew, “you simply rested.”

 

Now, with the evolution of stents and angioplasty, pacemakers and medications, McGrew sees far fewer people being struck by massive heart attacks. Early detection and treatment of heart disease is making significant strides in helping patients come back from — and live — with heart ailments.

 

McGrew unfurls a poster showing then-and-now pictures of pacemakers and defibrillators. These devices have progressively become more diminutive and powerful thanks to studies done by clinics like McGrew’s. Instead of taking action after a heart attack has taken place, McGrew can now monitor at-risk patients with defibrillators.

 

“If a patient has an irregular heart beat, a defibrillator stores the electrocardiogram during the irregularity. You can (then) send it over the phone and print out an EKG,” which makes McGrew’s diagnosis quicker and more precise.

 

In addition to taking part in device studies, McGrew writes study protocols. He’s currently working on one for a study that will evaluate a heart rhythm medication that’s recently been approved by the FDA. He is also the principal researcher on the Osiris study, a stem cell clinical trial being conducted through the Stern clinic with Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis. They are one of 25 sites nationally taking part in the study. The aim is to learn how effective stems cells can be in helping to heal damaged heart muscle.

 

When in trouble, the heart secretes hormones that send an “SOS beacon” to the rest of the body. Stem cells respond by moving in to repair damaged muscle. Researchers are hoping the use of stem cells will lessen scar tissue and ultimately regrow heart muscle. Also, yet to be answered is how best to deliver stem cells to the affected site, whether by shooting cells directly into the scarred section or to the periphery where blood supply is stronger.

 

“Stem cell research is still in its infancy. There are many more questions to be answered before we reach prime time,” he said. “But there is a lot of promise.”

 

The 64-year-old West Virginia native earned an A.B. from John Hopkins University in 1966 and his M.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 1970. He knew early in his career that he wanted to study the heart, not because of its intricacies, but rather, because of its simplicity. “The physical exam for the heart is so interesting and so revealing as to what’s going. You listen to heart sounds — even the pulse history alone is reflective of the heart’s health.”

 

McGrew said he enjoys all aspects of his job, but has the mind of a scientist; ever curious and eager to learn new information about the mechanics of the heart. To that end, he attends four professional conferences a year in an effort to stay abreast of the latest research developments. He also presents papers and briefs regarding the clinic’s research findings. 

 

Today, heart bypass surgery remains the most common operation in the U.S., but McGrew is optimistic that as progress continues in heart research, those surgeries will begin to decline.

 

McGrew is married with three children. In addition to being an avid hunter and fisherman, he is active with the Navy League.