In the world of medicine, where precision and discipline often overshadow a personal narrative, Power: A Memoir stands as a riveting exception. Frank “Rue” Tamru’s journey to the Far East is not only a chronicle of professional milestones; it is a sweeping, deeply human account of ambition, innovation, love, loss, and resilience, set against the backdrop of the evolving cardiac care industry across Asia, the Pacific, and beyond.
Power is a mesmerizing story that is, at times, about managing interactions with renowned heart specialists and business leaders, and at other times, about how commercial considerations conflict with moral imperatives.
Tamru does not shy away from the darker corners of his world—corruption, betrayal, and even murder find their place in this narrative. Yet, through it all, the voice he develops remains clear, reflective, and unflinchingly honest.
An “ordinary” guy from Camden, New Jersey, and a Rutgers University Sociology Major, Tamru’s career is as improbable as it is inspiring. He takes us from the congested streets of New York, where he drove a taxi for survival, to surgical observations in New York’s operating rooms. Later in Beijing, Bombay, Singapore, and throughout Asia, he attempted to reshape the future of heart valve surgery by founding an Asia-based manufacturing company.
Although the heart valve venture failed, he followed it with the launch of the region’s first indexed scientific heart journal. This legacy continues to influence generations of surgeons and researchers.
Whether you are a medical professional, a student of history, or simply a lover of compelling life stories, Power will grip you from the first page and stay with you long after the last.
ANDREW S. WECHSLER, MD, FACC, FAHA
Emeritus Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Drexel University
Dr. Wechsler is Editor Emeritus of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and past Editor in Chief for the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Before being awarded emeritus status, he was the Stanley K Brockman Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Drexel University. He served as Stuart McGuire Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University and, before that, was Professor of Surgery and Physiology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Dr. Wechsler has served as Chairman of the NIH Surgery and Bioengineering Study section and has held numerous leadership positions in Cardiothoracic Surgical Organizations. He has also served as a Director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Wechsler has served as a Visiting Professor at more than 60 institutions nationally and internationally.
In addition, he has held several NIH grants supporting a career-long interest in myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury, ventricular performance, and valve surgery. He is the author or coauthor of over 360 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 59 book chapters, and 29 books and monographs. He has served on the editorial board of ten major journals and holds several patents for medical devices.
In 2008, he received the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Scientific Achievement Award and has served as a senior advisor to the cardiovascular disease branch of the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute. He recently served for eight years as a member of the New York State Cardiac Advisory Board.
