Vascular Surgeon a Cut Above
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During a break from a busy day in the operating room, colleagues nabbed Peter Gloviczki, M.D., for a quick photo op. It was a moment surely worth capturing. Dr. Gloviczki reached a milestone few others have when he completed his 10,000th surgical procedure since joining the staff of Mayo Clinic. Jennifer Ohm, a surgical nurse who has worked with Dr. Gloviczki in the operating room for the past 12 years, says the "astonishing achievement" is a credit to his "lifetime of commitment and immense dedication." But Dr. Gloviczki credits something else. He tells us the achievement was "only possible because of the surgical and medical" teams he has worked with since arriving at Mayo for a fellowship back in 1981.
Dr. Gloviczki's path to Mayo Clinic, and to medicine, is a story in itself. In addition to his skills as a surgeon, Dr. Gloviczki is also an award-winning magician. And it was his skill as a magician that enabled him to travel outside his native Hungary when that country's government wouldn't allow physicians to leave to practice medicine. (You can read more about that journey here.) Dr. Gloviczki still performs for audiences, including his patients — "especially the children and young adults." He also performs at medical meetings and "particularly enjoyed performing for the Mayo Alumni Association when they celebrated Mayo Clinic's 150th anniversary."
Dr. Gloviczki tells us there are many parallels between magic and surgery. "Manual skill and dexterity" are required in both, as are "communications skills and compassion." According to his colleagues, Dr. Gloviczki has both qualities in abundance. Arman Arghami, M.D., a surgical resident, calls him "one of the most loved surgeons I have ever seen," and says Dr. Gloviczki's "presence, advice, calmness and sense of humor," are "greatly comforting" to his patients.
We imagine those patients will be sad to learn that Dr. Gloviczki will be disappearing from the operating suite this summer. He tells us he'll be retiring from clinical practice and transitioning to a new role as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vascular Surgery. We're sure he'll work his magic there as well.
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