Red Sox Honor Diabetes All-Star

When Frank LoGerfo, MD, retired as the Chief of Vascular Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox, his work in the field was far from over.

Dr. LoGerfo continues to impact the lives of millions every day through his research and development of surgical techniques to treat diabetes-related foot issues. He is also a Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and continues to educate the doctors of tomorrow.

On Sept. 6, BIDMC partnered with the Red Sox and the American Diabetes Association—New England (ADA) to honor Dr. LoGerfo as a Medical All-Star at Fenway Park.

More than 100 million adults in the U.S. are now living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to the ADA. “Quitting smoking and improving your diet and exercise are the keys to the best possible outcome for people living with diabetes,” Dr. LoGerfo says. “Don’t hesitate to get help—making improvements in your daily routine is well worth it.”

Get to know this all-star outside of his research lab.

Q: Are you a baseball fan?

FL: Oh yes, I came to Boston in the year of the “Impossible Dream” and was immediately captured by Yaz, Rico, Tony C. and others. But I grew up in a small town in New York and was always a devoted Brooklyn Dodgers fan. I’ll never forget game 7 of the National League Championship when Bobby Thompson hit a devastating walk-off home run that won it for the Giants. I was 11 and in the hospital with a broken leg, all alone, listening on a bedside radio. To this day, I still get that crushed heart feeling when I think about it. I was 15 when they finally won the World Series.

Q: What was your favorite sport growing up?

FL: I played football from middle school through freshman year of college. I was a halfback and absolutely loved the game. But after sizing up the competition in college, I decided it was the better part of valor to concentrate on my studies.

Q: Who did you bring with you to the Sept. 6 Red Sox game?

FL: I brought my Red Sox-loving wife, Judy and two of our four sons, Michael and Philip. (My other two sons are not local.) In the stands was also my long time administrative assistant, Cheryl Ottino Linguard. I couldn’t do what I do without her.