10 Questions with Saqib Masroor
The Chief of Cardiac Surgery says he has found his dream job and cannot imagine doing anything else.
As a young boy growing up in Lahore, Pakistan, Saqib Masroor always dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon or heart surgeon. He was fascinated by organ transplants, especially heart transplants. His interest in transplant immunology inspired him to travel to the U.S. to pursue a career in cardiac surgery.
Dr. Masroor has worked nearly 20 years as a cardiac surgeon, including at the Medical College of Wisconsin and HCA Healthcare, where he developed minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery programs. Prior to arriving at Cape Cod Healthcare, he served as chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, in Ohio.
Today, as the new Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Cape Cod Hospital, Dr. Masroor says minimally invasive techniques have changed the way many patients are being cared for now. “Without cracking the chest open, we can repair or replace valves and perform coronary artery bypass procedures with robotic tools,” says Dr. Masroor. “Of course, more recently, in the past five to 10 years, we have been able to replace the aortic valve without any incision at all with a procedure called TAVR. That has really revolutionized heart surgery.”
In light of February’s American Heart Month, Dr. Masroor advises that in order to maintain a healthy heart, it’s important to keep everything in moderation, whether it’s your diet, drink or exercise.
Since starting his position in October, the Plymouth resident explains that Cape Cod Healthcare is a great place to practice cutting-edge medicine while still maintaining a work/life balance. For our 10 Questions, Dr. Masroor shares what he would like to accomplish this year, his perfect day off and what he’s most excited about on the horizon.
1. What was your very first or most interesting job?
After high school, I worked at the Hilton Hotel in Lahore, Pakistan, as a room service order taker. I would sit on the phone all day long and take orders from guests, as well as take heat from them when the orders were not done right or were late. Sometimes when we were short of waiters, I had to deliver the food to the guest rooms, even though that was not part of my job and I did not have the waiter’s uniform. That was my introduction to teamwork.
2. What is your mantra or a quote you live by?
“Life is a lazy river-go with the flow!” as in the lazy river at a water park, where you just float through on a tube.
3. What would be your dream job?
This is my dream job. I cannot imagine myself doing anything else and being happier.
4. What would you like to accomplish before the end of the year?
I want to re-establish Cape Cod Healthcare as the go-to place for people on the Cape for their heart surgery needs.
5. What would a perfect day off look like for you?
Basking in the sun on the beach, followed by a nice dinner and a movie at home.
6. What are you putting off at the moment?
Organizing my family pictures. These days, we take so many pictures, but rarely spend time to see them again. When I retire, I plan to organize all the digital pictures in albums and give a copy to each one of my children.
7. What three people, dead or alive, would you like to have at a dinner party?
Barack Obama, Leonardo da Vinci and Elon Musk.
8. What on the horizon are you most excited about?
A trip abroad with family, which is still being planned by my daughter, who is graduating from college in May.
9. What is your favorite binge TV show?
“Breaking Bad.”
10. What do you like to do in your down time?
To spend time at home with family.
