Daniel Kirshenbaum, MD

Class Year: 2011

Specialty: Cardiology

Current practice: Cardiology Fellow at BMC

Do you remember what motivated you to make your first gift to BUSM?

When I was a first year medical student, I remember being moved by the generosity of so many donors to the stethoscope program. I still have that same stethoscope and use it many times each day. I donated to the stethoscope program to ensure first year medical students feel welcomed, just like I did, into their new and exciting adventure of becoming a doctor.

Why do you continue to give to BUSM?

I have always found BUSM to be a welcoming community that strives to provide the finest education possible to medical students. Attending medical school is expensive, so I donate to help relieve that financial burden as much as possible.

Favorite professor or course at BUSM:

Definitely physiology with Paul O’Bryan. I was constantly impressed with his deep understanding of how the human body functions. He was the first person to teach me how to interpret EKGs, something that is obviously critical to me now as a cardiology fellow. He had an impressive ability to take complex concepts and make them easy to understand. Also, I was always amazed by his devotion to BUSM considering he continued working there despite a very long daily commute from Cape Cod.

Fond memory of BUSM:

It’s challenging to pick just one memory from four years crammed with life-changing experiences. If I had to pick one, it would be the hours spent hanging out in the student lounge, often spent competing in amateur ping pong tournaments. Thanks to a generous donor during my second year at BUSM, we were able to renovate the student lounge and purchase a professional-grade ping pong table that remains functional today.

Other anecdotes/comments:

I have no doubt that BUSM prepared me well for medical practice. I’m grateful to those who made that possible, including the professors and physicians who crammed my head full of knowledge in preparation for clinical practice, as well as the donors who contributed financially through the stethoscope program, student lounge renovations, or one of the many other donor-supported initiatives.