Daniel Gelfman, M.D.
Clinical Professor Emeritus of Medicine

Biography

Daniel Gelfman, M.D., is a clinical professor emeritus of medicine at the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Gelfman was awarded emeritus status in July of 2020. He remains active teaching clinical medicine, pursuing scholarly activities at Marian University, and working as a volunteer physician.

Dr. Gelfman completed his bachelor’s degree, followed by his medical degree in 1981, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He then completed his internal medicine residency, served as chief resident, followed by an invasive cardiology fellowship at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia, in 1987. He was in private cardiology practice for approximately three decades, during which he was involved in medical teaching at Georgetown University, Indiana University, and finally, starting in 2014, at Marian University. He transitioned at Marian University to full-time. He has emeritus privileges at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis and has served as a volunteer physician for decades at various free medical clinics in the greater Indianapolis area. He remains a fellow of The American College of Cardiology, The American College of Physicians, and The American Society of Echocardiography.

Dr. Gelfman’s research interests currently include developing effective teaching methods and combining the humanities with medicine. According to Google Scholar, his works have been cited over 100 times. Recent work includes his article, “The David Sign", published in JAMA Cardiology, revealing previously unrecognized cardiovascular physiology findings depicted in Michelangelo’s sculptures. The article also emphasized the importance of teaching concepts as described in the following quote, “Knowing the fundamentals, careful observation, and always asking why are key in understanding medicine and making accurate diagnoses. This was true in 1504 and is true today.” This publication was reported by multiple media outlets, including U.S. News and World Report, The Indianapolis Star and its USA Today affiliates, and The Daily Mail (U.K.), which has brought local, national, and international recognition to Marian University. He recently published a manuscript about new concepts concerning effective teaching methods of physical examination at the medical school level in The American Journal of Medicine. This was followed by an article describing the results of a program specific to the cardiac examination in The Medical Science Editor.

Research

• Gelfman DM. Appropriately Targeting Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation to Maximize Benefits in Older Adults. Am J Med. 2022; 135(1):3-4. doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.06.046
• Gelfman DM. We Need to Inform Covid-19 Vaccinating Clinics Concerning PEG Allergy. J Am Soc Echocardiography. Epub Aug 2021; 34(11):1229-1230. doi.org/10.1016/j.echo.2021.08.010
• Gelfman DM. The history of polio and cigarettes, and the need for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Hektoen International, A Journal of Medical Humanities. Infectious Diseases (Summer 2021). hekint.org/2021/08/27/the-history-of-polio-and-cigarettes-and-the-need-for-a-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/
• Gelfman DM. Reflections on Quinine and Its Importance in Dermatology Today. Clinics in Dermatology. 2021; 39(5):900-903. doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2021.08.017 
• Gelfman DM. In General, We Are Defined More by Our Response to Defeat, Than the Defeat Itself. Am J Med 2021;134(7):831-832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.03.021
• Gelfman DM. Remembering Sir Thomas Lewis’ contribution to understanding heart failure. Hektoen International, A Journal of Medical Humanities. Cardiology (Spring 2021). https://hekint.org/2021/06/14/remembering-sir-thomas-lewis-contribution-to-understanding-heart-failure/.
• Gelfman DM. The Valsalva Maneuver, Set in Stone. Am J Med 2021;134(6):823-824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.01.035
• Gelfman DM. Thank you for letting me be your physician. Patient Educ Couns. 2021; 104(12)2888-2889. doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.02.015
• Gelfman DM. When Less is More, A Caring Physician’s Dilemma. Am J Med 2021;134(5):561-562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2020.12.014
• Gelfman DM. Enlightenment from Sherlock Holmes on COVID-19 associated perilous boredom. Hektoen Int. 2021;13(2) (Spring 2021). https://hekint.org/2021/01/19/enlightenment-from-sherlock-holmes-on-covid-19-associated-perilous-boredom/.
• Gelfman DM. Will the Traditional Physical Examination Be Another Casualty of COVID-19? Am J Med. 2021;134(3):299-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2020.10.026
• Gelfman DM. Good (Medical) Judgment Comes from Experience, and Experience Comes from (Medical) Misfortune. Am J Med 2020;113(12):1374-1375. doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2020.06.041
• Gelfman DM, Wilson TE. The importance of the "David Sign". Hektoen International, A Journal of Medical Humanities. Cardiology (Summer 2020). https://hekint.org/2020/08/25/the-importance-of-the-the-david-sign/
• Gelfman DM. David, Brutus, and Caracalla—A Sculptural Chronology of Anatomical Observation—Reply. JAMA Cardiol. 2020;5(10):1200-1201. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2020.2876
• Gelfman DM, Zahl SB. A Decision-Directed Cardiac Exam in Medical School. Med Sci Educ. 2020; 30:1019–1024 . doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-020-00982-5.
• Gelfman DM. Changing the Learning Objectives for Teaching Physical Examination at the Medical School Level. Am J Med. 2020; 133(3): e77-e78. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2019.07.055.
• Gelfman DM. The David Sign. JAMA Cardiol. 2020; 5(2):124-125. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2019.4874.
• Gelfman DM. Osteopathic Manipulation in Treatment of Musculoskeletal Chest Pain. Am J Med. 2017; 130(6):618. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.11.046
• Clancy CM, Gelfman D, Poses RM. A strategy to improve the utilization of pneumococcal vaccine. J Gen Intern Med. 1992; 7(1):14-8. PubMed PMID: 1548543.
• Gelfman DM, Ornato JP, Gonzalez ER. Dopamine-induced increase in atrioventricular conduction in atrial fibrillation-flutter. Clin Cardiol. 1987; 10(11):671-3. PubMed PMID: 3677500.
• Gelfman DM, Witherspoon JM, Buchsbaum DG, Centor RM. Short-term results of an immunization compliance program. Va Med. 1986; 113(9):532-4. PubMed PMID: 3776344.
• Gelfman DM, Eppel MN, Mandell MS Jr, Evans CG Jr. Enlarging the pool of flexible sigmoidoscopists. Va Med. 1985; 112(10):631-5. PubMed PMID: 4060860.

Revised 9/20/2021