Roman W. DeSanctis, MD, believed in the power of personal interaction.
“The essence and the beauty of medicine … lies in the encounter between the doctor and the patient,” he said in a speech to the Massachusetts General Hospital Physicians Organization in 2006.
For Dr. DeSanctis, director of Clinical Cardiology Emeritus at Massachusetts General Hospital, every patient interaction offered a new opportunity to show he cared. And, throughout his remarkable career, whether it was in the exam rooms and hallways of Mass General, or outside the hospital walls — in the airport, the supermarket, or a late-night phone call — he made every patient interaction count. He’d stop and pause, address the person by name, ask about their health, their families, their lives, and share details of his own. But most of all, he’d listen.
“As a physician, he was unparalleled, but what made him truly exceptional was his ability to put others at ease,” said Brit Nicholson, MD, senior vice president of Development. “As a cardiologist, he’d say it’s important to listen to the heart, but it’s more important to listen to the patient.”
A legendary physician, mentor, teacher, leader, fundraiser and philanthropist, Dr. DeSanctis dedicated 70 years of his time, his effort, his energy and his own philanthropy in support of the Massachusetts General Hospital community. He passed away at the age of 93 at his home in Winchester, Mass. on July 8.
Destined for Medicine
The son of Vincent DeSanctis, a tailor, and his wife, Marguerite Marini DeSanctis, Roman DeSanctis was born in 1930 in Cambridge Spring, Pennsylvania, a small town not far from the shores of Lake Erie. When he was 7 years old, the family relocated to Tucson, Arizona, where his father was recovering from tuberculosis.
Roman knew from an early age that he wanted to pursue medicine. He entered college at 16 and graduated from Harvard Medical School at 24. When he arrived at Mass General in the late summer of 1955, the tall, stately DeSanctis, the son of immigrants, stood out from many of his fellow interns. It wasn’t long, however, before he distinguished himself as a natural caregiver and physician.
After completing his residency, he was awarded a clinical and research fellowship in cardiology, where he earned the notice of Dr. Paul Dudley White, the father of modern cardiology, who would become his mentor. From there, his career path came into clear view. In 1967, he founded the MGH Coronary Care Unit and served as its director until 1981, when he was named director of Clinical Cardiology, and later became acting chief of the MGH Cardiac Division.
For Roman DeSanctis, practicing medicine was a source of joy, and he never forgot how fortunate he was to be a physician. Even in his final years, as he watched the institution evolve in its complexity, he never lost the belief that caring for others was privilege.
Through the years, Dr. DeSanctis was recognized with numerous awards and honors, including his election into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science; being named Master of the American College of Physicians; and becoming the first incumbent of the Evelyn and James Jenks/Paul Dudley White Professorship of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. But throughout his career, the recognition that mattered most to Dr. DeSanctis he found in his patients.
More Than a Caregiver; a Friend
Dr. DeSanctis like to say that medicine was a calling, rather than a profession. He believed that being a physician was a privilege. And while his talents and prestige attracted a who’s who of high-profile individuals — including actor John Wayne, diplomat Henry Kissinger, Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach and the King of Morocco, Hassan II — he cherished each and every one of the people in his care and invested himself in their wellbeing.
“I have always tried to be not only a caregiver to my patients, but also a friend,” he said in a 2014 essay. And his patients reflected that warmth back at him. (On a personal note, in my six years as a writer at Mass General, the phrase I’ve heard most from donors and patients is ‘we are friends of Roman DeSanctis.’)
He took time to earn his patients’ trust; answering every question and ensuring they fully understood their individual diagnoses and care plans before leaving his office. When possible, he took patients’ blood pressure readings himself (in both arms), rather than delegating the procedure. He was a hugger. Although not a surgeon, he often attended his patients’ surgeries and called them at home to check in after they were discharged. He shared his home phone number and took their calls at all hours. He made house calls. For those he lost, he attended wakes and funerals and wrote personal condolence notes to their loved ones.
This devotion to his patients sometimes came at the expense of precious time with his family — but his wife, Ruth, and their four daughters, Ellen, Lydia, Andrea, and Marcia, made accommodations. Birthday celebrations and family events were often held first thing in the morning, so that Dr. DeSanctis could participate.
For the DeSanctis family, medicine was a family affair. His wife Ruth, who had trained as a nurse, was deeply devoted to supporting his passion for his patients and trainees. The family regularly welcomed fellows, residents and interns at their home for meals and holidays. In honor of this shared commitment, the DeSanctis family established the Ruth and Roman DeSanctis Family Endowed Cardiology Fellowship Research Fund in 2022.
“There was no Roman DeSanctis, physician, without our mom,” says his daughter Lydia. “This fund was an opportunity to pay tribute to her role, which made it possible for him to provide such outstanding care for so many patients. Behind him was a family devoted and committed to supporting his passion for medicine.”
Leading by Example
As a professor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. DeSanctis trained hundreds of cardiologists, but his teaching wasn’t just reserved for the lecture hall. He never missed an opportunity to share what he’d learned with new interns and clinicians. In 2007, he received the first MGH Trustees’ Medal, which recognizes individuals who have made a “monumental and lasting impact.”
“As a clinician and educator, Dr. DeSanctis was humble, insightful, perceptive, intelligent and warm,” said Patrick Ellinor, MD, acting director cardiology. “He treated every patient and trainee as if they were his only priority, which fostered unwavering trust and fierce loyalty to him and to Mass General. In turn, this helped shape not only our division, but also our culture of mentorship.”
Late in his career, with retirement on the horizon, he contacted several of his old trainees, entrusting them with the care of his long-time patients.
“There was no better professional complement,” Dr. Nicholson said.
After he retired from clinical practice in 2014, Roman partnered with the Development Office at Mass General, applying the same extraordinary compassion and curiosity that had defined him as a physician to fundraising. He continued raising money for causes he held dear — such as the training and education of future cardiologists — but he also set to himself to work to preserve the legacy and future of his beloved hospital. In 2015, after nursing his wife Ruth through late-stage Alzheimer’s, he helped secure funding for the Dementia Caregiver Support Program to assist caregivers and families.
“He had a way of making people feel special, even if he’d never been their physician,” said Assistant Vice President of Development Rachel Mastone, who worked closely with Dr. DeSanctis in his final years. “I’ve never met anyone so compelled to help people.”
For Roman DeSanctis, practicing medicine was a source of joy, and he never forgot how fortunate he was to be a physician. Even in his final years, as he watched the institution evolve in its complexity, he never lost the belief that caring for others was privilege.
“You will go to work every day with no other purpose than to relieve pain and suffering and to heal the sick,” Dr. DeSanctis said in a 2014 lecture to the graduating class at Harvard Medical School. “Remember that there are thousands of doctors out there, and your patients have chosen you as the custodian of their most precious assets — their health, well-being, and even their lives. This is a great honor, but it is also a huge responsibility.”
Prior to his passing, Dr. DeSanctis expressed his wish that any gifts received in his memory be directed to the Roman and Ruth DeSanctis Family Endowed Cardiology Fellowship Research Fund. To make a gift click here.
To learn more about how you can support cardiology and cardiology research at Mass General, contact us.
