‘Father of modern cardiology’ Eugene Braunwald dies at 96
Pioneer cardiologist Eugene Braunwald, MD, often referred to as the “father of modern cardiology,” died April 22. He was 96 years old.
Braunwald was born in Vienna, Austria, and immigrated to the United States as a child to flee Nazi persecution. He went on to hold leadership positions with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; the University of California, San Diego; Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He authored or co-authored more than 1,000 publications over the course of his career and helped shape medical education for many years as the longtime editor of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, a premier textbook for clinicians.
Braunwald was also a lifelong contributor to a variety of industry societies, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA) and European Society of Cardiology (ESC). He earned the highest honors from all of these groups over the course of his career in medicine, and the AHA even started giving out the Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award annually in 1999.
American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and European Society of Cardiology share loving tributes
Cardiology groups all over the globe paid their respects to Braunwald and his lasting legacy.
“Eugene was my very good friend for many decades and was one of the most talented people that I have ever met,” Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, president of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and physician-in-chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, said in an ACC statement. “He was pragmatic and an observer of everything evolving in medicine. He could predict the future and was right in most situations.”
“His contributions span decades and his legacy will live on with all of the many lives he touched through his work as a clinician, researcher, mentor and teacher,” added ACC President Roxana Mehran, MD, a professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the Women’s Heart and Vascular Center at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital.
In an AHA tribute, meanwhile, CEO Nancy Brown said “few people have shaped cardiovascular medicine so profoundly or for so long.”
“For generations of discovery, his contributions helped define modern cardiology and strengthened the foundation on which today’s breakthroughs stand,” she added. “His legacy lives on not only in these medical discoveries, but in the people he inspired and mentored, including many leaders who continue to shape cardiovascular care today.”
ESC shared its own tribute to Braunwald, highlighting his humanity and generosity in addition to his transformative impact on the field of cardiology.
“Professor Braunwald was the pioneering cardiologist of his time. His vision and innovation changed the trajectory of cardiovascular medicine,” said Thomas F. Lüscher, MD, president of the ESC and a celebrated Swiss cardiologist. “He had a rare ability to see what the field needed next, and then to build the science and the evidence that made better care possible; from the way we understand myocardial ischemia to the way we test and deliver life-saving therapies. Just as importantly, he set a standard for intellectual honesty and mentorship, giving generations of clinicians and researchers the confidence to aim higher.”
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.