Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1292368
57 OCTOBER 2020 Our region, he says, has done relatively very well in the pandemic. "As the pandemic evolved, we had questions about bed capacity and ventilator supply. That turned out not to be an issue. We managed the surge and the time since quite well, with masks, social distancing, and the right practices. Our cases are relatively low in the Commonwealth. The country, perhaps, has done not so well." Despite the optimism in the media, Dr. Longworth believes a return to normalcy is going to take awhile. "It takes time to show vaccines are effective, and time to ramp up production and convince the population that the vaccines are safe." It may be close to another year, he says, or longer. " We're FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT lahey.org remaining very vigilant." He mulls how the pandemic has brought ref lection . "I 'm ver y privileged to do this work. I find myself at a momentous time in healthcare that we haven't seen in over 100 years." When he gets home, he focuses on family and relaxation. "I manage to spend a bit of time in the evening doing something fairly outside of medicine," he says. "I try to take a bit of a walk most evenings." His wife, Jo- Ann Davis, is a healthcare professional in western Massachusetts; the two have homes in Burlington and West Springfield. Two of their four children have become physicians. "I'm very proud of them all," Dr. Longworth says. Books are a special gateway to relaxation for him. These days he is rereading one of his favorites, A River Runs Through It. It was the first novel by the late author Norman Maclean, which Maclean wrote when he was in his 70s. "It's not only a beautiful novel, but an inspiration," Dr. Longworth, 67, says. "It's never too late to take up a new adventure and passion." He also paused to reflect on what comprises good leadership today. "It's all about integrity," Dr. Longworth says. "It's not about you; it's about other people. Work hard and be honest, transparent, and careful about keeping your word. Fundamentally it's about being a serving leader." Lahey Hospital & Medical Center PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEORGE DISARIO/COURTESY OF LAHEY HOSPITAL & MEDICAL CENTER