Dr. Joseph McGarvey was Doylestown Hospital's cardiac pioneer. Raised in Upper Darby and trained locally at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and Hahnemann Hospital, he also served a stint as a U.S. Army doctor. And, when he came to what he called a "pristine" Doylestown in 1969, Dr. McGarvey was the community's first cardiologist.

"It's been an exciting run to see where we are now," says Dr. McGarvey, who helped launch the area's first cardiology practice, Central Bucks Specialists, just as the specialty was gaining a foothold. Today he even practices with his son, Dr. Joseph F.X. McGarvey, Jr.

What made you decide to become a cardiologist? I was always interested in the heart. It's so critical to functioning - both mentally and just staying alive. The fact that it beats all the time - it's an amazing organ.

How has the practice of cardiology changed? At the present time we offer every possible cardiac service except transplantation. What we brought here are the building blocks - stress testing, echocardiography, and cardiac catheterization - tests that are used to define the problem. We can intervene with balloons and stents, which clear blockages without surgery. Then we have the various surgical programs that are interwoven with the cath lab.

What type of cardiology do you practice? I'm a general cardiologist. I'm the guy who decides whether you go to the cath lab or whether you have a valve replaced. I do all the basic testing and help my patients make the best decisions. In a way, that hasn't changed since I first came here.

How do you stay so enthusiastic? What keeps you engaged? The people - my patients, the staff - keep me involved. As you can imagine, there are many I've met and followed over the years and I still enjoy seeing them as much as I ever did.