Renowned Cardiologist Presents First Annual Howard D. Kirshenbaum, MD, Lecture
Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, cardiovascular scientist, clinician and teacher, presented the first annual Howard D. Kirshenbaum, MD, Lecture to the medical campus community including members of Dr. Kirshenbaum’s family on Wednesday, April 6.
Loscalzo is the Hersey Professor of Theory and Practice of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School; and physician-in-chief at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He served on the faculty of BUSM for 11 years first as chief of cardiology before being named the Wade Professor and Chair of Medicine, professor of biochemistry, and director of the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute. He has authored or co-authored 600 scientific publications and authored or edited 27 books. He holds 31 patents for his work in the areas of vascular biology, thrombosis, and atherosclerosis over the past 25 years.
“Dr. Loscalzo is the quintessential physician-scientist whose work has advanced our knowledge and practice of cardiology and cardiovascular medicine,” said Karen Antman, MD, provost of the Medical Campus and Dean of the School of Medicine. “We are fortunate to have him with us today.”
His presentation, “Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Lessons and Challenges for the Cardiovascular Community,” marked the inauguration of the lecture named in memory of Dr. Kirshenbaum, a highly regarded cardiologist, who died May of 2010. The Kirshenbaum Lecture was established by Elaine Kirshenbaum, wife of Dr. Kirshenbaum. A graduate of BU College of Liberal Arts, BU School of Education and BUSPH, Mrs. Kirshenbaum is a member of the Boston University Board of Trustees and a member of the School of Medicine Dean’s Advisory Board. Son, Daniel, is graduating from BUSM this May and daughter, Jennifer, is a graduate of BU School of Law.
Rabbi Joseph Polak, director of the BU Hillel House, offered welcoming remarks and noted that Dr. Kirshenbaum loved ideas and said, “It is most appropriate that a lecture in his name should honor his memory and be presented by Dr. Loscalzo, a pre-eminent physician and researcher.”
“It is a privilege to give this lecture,” said Loscalzo. “Howard Kirshenbaum exemplified what it means to be a clinician teacher and outstanding care giver. We miss him.”