“Science and vascular surgery — everything I do should have a scientific foundation.”
Dr. David Garbaisz, PhD, is a vascular surgery specialist and assistant lecturer at the Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at the Városmajor Heart and Vascular Center of Semmelweis University.
As he puts it, medicine was encoded in him from the start — even as a child, he was fascinated by white coats, test tubes, and medical instruments. He constantly ran experiments and tried to “cure everything.” At university, he joined the Scientific Student Research Society early on and became involved in vascular surgery research at the 1st Department of Surgery. As a mentee of Dr. Attila Szijártó, he was trained in a rigorous scientific environment that instilled in him the importance of grounding everything in evidence. After graduating, he stayed on for three years as a PhD student, then moved to the Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at the Városmajor Heart and Vascular Center, where he continues to work today. He treats arterial, venous, abdominal aortic, and carotid conditions, as well as acute vascular emergencies, alongside his ongoing research activities. He is currently involved in research on homografts — transplant-derived veins or arteries used as implants — which can serve as alternatives to prosthetic grafts, further expanding the use of the vascular and cardiac homograft bank that has been operating at the clinic since 1997.
Although he is a vascular surgeon, he believes it is essential to sense when a patient truly needs surgical intervention. Well-timed and properly indicated surgery is a key factor in the successful surgical treatment of vascular disease.
Beyond medicine, sport is his other great passion. He exercises regularly himself — on a daily basis — and holds qualifications as a sports coach and personal trainer, which he uses to promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. He sees exercise and lifestyle change as one of the most important tools for prevention and for the ongoing management of existing disease — particularly in the case of widespread conditions like vascular disease. As a doctor, he witnesses every day how many serious complications could be avoided through this mindset, and considers it part of his mission to help patients with existing cardiovascular disease find the right form and level of physical activity that they can safely pursue.