Lachlan Forrow

What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM?
I am amazingly blessed to work at a medical center (BIDMC) and in a larger community (HMS/HSPH/ HSDM and Harvard University) with so many people who are inspiring and extraordinarily-accomplished role models, in direct individual patient care; in education, role-modelling, and mentoring, in basic and applied scientific research; and in public policy development and advocacy. I am equally blessed to have a steady stream, renewed every year, of so many younger people who bring the energy and idealism of youth that is one of the world's most important resources.

In what ways do you feel you contribute to the Harvard community?
I try to remind all my fellow members of the Harvard community, starting by my own personal example, of how doing skilled, collaborative work in the service of medicine's highest ideals can yield the highest possible personal and professional satisfaction.
It all starts and ends with individual patients, in the context of their broader communities, and showing how HMS's mission of "alleviating suffering caused by disease" can be achieved, one patient at a time for some; for others, through local or national or global system reforms.

What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot?
This rose was given to me when I was a primary care physician by an elderly patient of mine named Rose. Her care was extremely challenging, but ultimately deeply rewarding, including being able to keep her living independently at home until near the very end of her life. I chose it because Rose and her care so strongly proves that it almost always takes a highly-functioning interdisciplinary "team". including medical, nursing, social work, and other staff working closely together, with deep mutual respect, to achieve great things. But when we succeed, our work is more than satisfying, it brings true joy.