Eugene Braunwald
Encyclopedia
Biography
Eugene Braunwald, an eminent American cardiologist, was born August 15, 1929 to Jewish parents Wilhelm Braunwald and Clara Wallach in Vienna.Braunwald was inspired to pursue a career in cardiology after practicing in the Bellevue Cardiology Clinic, under Ludwig Eichna, during his time as a medical student at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. He also attended several Cardiology courses in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, at the Instituto Ignacio Chavez. He always thought that the Mexican School of Cardiology was above any other. "We have the technology but they have the practice. The best book of cardiology is the patient itself," he always argued.
He taught at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
(1968-1972), and has since been at the Brigham and Women's Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital is the largest hospital of the Longwood Medical and Academic Area in Boston, Massachusetts. It is directly adjacent to Harvard Medical School of which it is the second largest teaching affiliate with 793 beds...
, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, in Boston, MA.
Dr. Braunwald has over 1000 publications in peer-reviewed journals. His work has dramatically expanded knowledge of heart disease in the area of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
, coronary artery disease, and valvular heart disease
Valvular heart disease
Valvular heart disease is any disease process involving one or more of the valves of the heart . Valve problems may be congenital or acquired...
. He is the editor of the premier cardiology textbook, Braunwald's Heart Disease, which is now in its 9th edition. Dr. Braunwald was instrumental in running the TIMI
TIMI
TIMI stands for Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction and is the name of an Academic Research Organization which was founded by Dr. Eugene Braunwald in 1984...
(Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infaraction) studies, which developed the concepts of thrombosis
Thrombosis
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel is injured, the body uses platelets and fibrin to form a blood clot to prevent blood loss...
superimposed on atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as a result of the accumulation of fatty materials such as cholesterol...
as the pathological bases for acute myocardial infarction.
In 1966, he was awarded the Jacobi Medallion by the Mount Sinai Alumni (Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
) "for distinguished achievement in the field of medicine or extraordinary service to the Hospital, the School, or the Alumni."
Dr. Braunwald's lab was the setting for the infamous case of John Darsee
John Darsee
John Darsee was a medical researcher with an impressive list of publications in reputable scientific journals who was found to have fabricated data for his publications.-Early career:...
. Darsee was thought to be brilliant by Dr. Braunwald. Young fellow researchers in the laboratory caught Darsee fabricating results. Braunwald denied knowledge of this academic misconduct despite two earlier accusations and his own internal investigation which found "no misleading information" (ref 3).
In 2004, Dr. Braunwald became the inaugural winner of the Libin/AHFMR Prize for Excellence in Cardiovascular Research
Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta
The Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta is a partnership between the Calgary Health Region and the University of Calgary. Its mandate comprises all cardiovascular research, education and service delivery, with a service area extending from Saskatchewan, Southern Alberta and Eastern British...
.
In 2009, he was chairman of a policy group that severely limited outside pay for Harvard physicians.
On May 5th, 2010, he received an honorary degree from the University of Rochester, where his grandson Alex is an undergraduate student.