Valentin Fuster
Encyclopedia
Valentí Fuster is a Spaniard (Spanish-American) cardiologist – the only cardiologist to receive all four major research awards from the world's four major cardiovascular organizations.
Fuster made news in 2006 when he managed a patient who underwent successful combined heart
and lung
transplant
, which New York Magazine
named one of the year’s "11 medical marvels".
after the end of the Spanish Civil War
. His early aptitude for tennis
let him to compete at a national level, and it was through tennis that he met his future mentor – Pedro Farreras, the author of the standard Spanish
textbook of medicine. After Farreras suffered a heart attack at age 45, he encouraged Fuster to study cardiology.
Fuster pursued his degree at the University of Barcelona
, graduating first in his class. His PhD (on the role of platelets
in myocardial infarction
) was completed at Edinburgh university.
Fuster then spent several years in residency at the Mayo Clinic
, later becoming Professor of Medicine and Consultant in Cardiology. In 1981, he joined the Mount Sinai School of Medicine
as head of Cardiology. From 1991 to 1994, he was Mallinckrodt
Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
and Chief of Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital
.
In 1994 he returned to Mount Sinai to become Director of the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute. He is currently the Director of Mount Sinai Heart.
He has received research awards from the Interamerican Society of Cardiology (Distinguished Researcher Award, 2005), the American Heart Association
(Distinguished Scientist, 2003), the European Society of Cardiology (Andreas Gruntzig Scientific Award, 1992), and the American College of Cardiology
(Distinguished Scientist Award, 1993).
Fuster made news in 2006 when he managed a patient who underwent successful combined heart
Heart transplantation
A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplantation, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease. As of 2007 the most common procedure was to take a working heart from a recently deceased organ donor and implant it into the...
and lung
Lung transplantation
Lung transplantation, or pulmonary transplantation is a surgical procedure in which a patient's diseased lungs are partially or totally replaced by lungs which come from a donor...
transplant
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
, which New York Magazine
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
named one of the year’s "11 medical marvels".
Biography
Fuster was born in CardonaCardona
Cardona is a town ìn Catalonia, Spain, in the province of Barcelona; about 90 km northwest of the city of Barcelona, on a hill almost surrounded by the river Cardoner, a branch of the Llobregat.Near the town is an extensive deposit of rock salt...
after the end of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. His early aptitude for tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
let him to compete at a national level, and it was through tennis that he met his future mentor – Pedro Farreras, the author of the standard Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
textbook of medicine. After Farreras suffered a heart attack at age 45, he encouraged Fuster to study cardiology.
Fuster pursued his degree at the University of Barcelona
University of Barcelona
The University of Barcelona is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. It is a member of the Coimbra Group, LERU, European University Association, Mediterranean Universities Union, International Research Universities Network and Vives Network...
, graduating first in his class. His PhD (on the role of platelets
Platelet
Platelets, or thrombocytes , are small,irregularly shaped clear cell fragments , 2–3 µm in diameter, which are derived from fragmentation of precursor megakaryocytes. The average lifespan of a platelet is normally just 5 to 9 days...
in myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
) was completed at Edinburgh university.
Fuster then spent several years in residency at the Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
, later becoming Professor of Medicine and Consultant in Cardiology. In 1981, he joined the Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine is an American medical school in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, currently ranked among the top 20 medical schools in the United States. It was chartered by Mount Sinai Hospital in 1963....
as head of Cardiology. From 1991 to 1994, he was Mallinckrodt
Mallinckrodt
Mallinckrodt is a set of pharmaceutical, chemical, imaging, and respiratory equipment suppliers based in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Founded in 1867 when the Mallinckrodt brothers formed G. Mallinckrodt & Company to manufacture pharmaceutical chemicals, Mallinckrodt was purchased by Tyco...
Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
and Chief of Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
.
In 1994 he returned to Mount Sinai to become Director of the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute. He is currently the Director of Mount Sinai Heart.
He has received research awards from the Interamerican Society of Cardiology (Distinguished Researcher Award, 2005), the American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
(Distinguished Scientist, 2003), the European Society of Cardiology (Andreas Gruntzig Scientific Award, 1992), and the American College of Cardiology
American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949 to advocate for quality cardiovascular care through education, research promotion, development and application of standards and guidelines, and to influence health care policy...
(Distinguished Scientist Award, 1993).
Positions and distinctions
- The Mount Sinai Medical Center as Director of Mount Sinai Heart
- The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute
- The Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health.
- The Richard Gorlin, MD/Heart Research Foundation Professor, Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
- Past President of the American Heart AssociationAmerican Heart AssociationThe American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
- Past President of the World Heart FederationWorld Heart FederationThe World Heart Federation is a nongovernmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland dedicated to the prevention and control of heart disease and heart foundations from over 100 countries covering the regions of Asia-Pacific, Europe, East Mediterranean, the Americas and Africa.-History:The...
- Member, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
- Past member, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Advisory Council
- Former Chairman, the Fellowship Training Directors Program of the American College of CardiologyAmerican College of CardiologyThe American College of Cardiology is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949 to advocate for quality cardiovascular care through education, research promotion, development and application of standards and guidelines, and to influence health care policy...
- Member, Scientific Advisory Board of Vasogen, Inc.
- General Director of the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) in Madrid, Spain.
Honors and awards
- 2008 Libin/AHFMR Prize for Excellence in Cardiovascular ResearchLibin Cardiovascular Institute of AlbertaThe 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...
- Interamerican Society of Cardiology (Distinguished Researcher Award, 2005)
- Honoris causa granted from seventeen universities
- Recipient of three ongoing grants from the National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
- The Lewis A. Conner Memorial Award by the American Heart Association
- The James B. Herrick Achievement Award from the Council of Clinical Cardiology
- The 1996 Principe de AsturiasPrince of AsturiasPrince of Asturias is the historical title given to the heir to the Spanish throne. It was also the title under the earlier Kingdom of Castile. The current Prince of Asturias is Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía...
Award of Science and Technology (Spain's highest scientific award) - The Distinguished Service Award from the American College of Cardiology
- The Gold Heart Award from the American Heart Association (its highest award)
- The Gold Medal of the European Society of Cardiology (Vienna, 2007)
- The 2008 Kurt Polzer Cardiovascular Award from the European Academy of Sciences and ArtsEuropean Academy of Sciences and ArtsThe European Academy of Sciences and Arts was created in 1990 in Salzburg, Austria by heart surgeon Felix Unger of Salzburg; the cardinal archbishop of Vienna, Franz König; and the political scientist and philosopher Nikolaus Lobkowicz....
Publications
Partial list:- Lead Editor (with Ira S. NashIra S. NashIra S. Nash, M.D., is an American cardiologist, a specialist in the prevention and treatment of heart disease.Nash serves as the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City...
) of two major textbooks on cardiology, The Heart (previously edited by Dr. J. Willis Hurst) (ISBN 0071478868) and Atherothrombosis and Coronary Artery Disease (with Drs. Eric TopolEric TopolEric J. Topol, M.D. is an American cardiologist, geneticist, and researcher. Much of Topol's career was spent at the Cleveland Clinic, where he served as chairman of cardiovascular medicine and founded the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine...
and Elizabeth NabelElizabeth NabelElizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. is the former Director of the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the US National Institutes of Health . Nabel is currently President of Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.-Education and career:Nabel, a native of...
) (ISBN 0781735831). - Editor-in-Chief of the Nature JournalNature (journal)Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
focusing on cardiovascular medicine. - Ibanez B, Vilahur G, Cimmino G, Speidl WS, Pinero A, Choi BG, Zafar MU, Santos-Gallego CG, Krause B, Badimon L, Fuster V, Badimon JJ. Rapid change in plaque size, composition, and molecular footprint after recombinant apolipoprotein A-I Milano (ETC-216) administration: magnetic resonance imaging study in an experimental model of atherosclerosis. Journal of the American College of Cardiology PMID 18342230
- Mclaughlin MMary Ann McLaughlinMary Ann McLaughlin, MD, MPH is an American cardiologist, the author of multiple book chapters and an Associate Professor at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City....
, Fuster V. Three mechanisms for coronary artery disease progression; insights into future management. Mount Sinai Journal of MedicineMount Sinai Journal of MedicineThe Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine is a peer-reviewed medical journal that has been published continually since 1934 by the Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, later by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine....
1995; 62(4): 265-274. PMID 7565849 - Galende E, Karakikes I, Edelmann L, Desnick RJ, Kerenyi T, Khoueiry G, Lafferty J, McGinn JT, Brodman MMichael L. BrodmanMichael L. Brodman, M.D. is an American gynecologist and obstetrician and currently the Ellen and Howard C. Katz Chairman’s Chair and Professor of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City...
, Fuster V, Hajjar RJ, Polgar K. Amniotic Fluid Cells Are More Efficiently Reprogrammed to Pluripotency Than Adult Cells. Cloning Stem Cells. 2009 Dec 17. PMID 20017623. - Goldbarg SH, Elmariah S, Miller MA, Fuster V. Insights into Degenerative Aortic Valve Disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2007 PMID 17888836
- Sanz J, Moreno PR, Fuster V. The year in atherothrombosis. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2008 PMID 17448377
- Choi BG, Vilahur G, Zafar MU, Cardoso L, Yadegar D, Ibanez B, Tunstead J, Viles-Gonzalez JF, Schaffler MB, Fuster V, Badimon JJ. Selective estrogen receptor modulation influences atherosclerotic plaque composition in a rabbit menopause model. Artherosclerosis. 2008 PMID 18367192
- Farkouh ME, Dangas G, Leon MB, Smith C, Nesto R, Buse JB, Cohen DJ, Mahoney E, Sleeper L, King S 3rd, Domanski M, McKinlay S, Fuster V. Design of the Future Revascularization Evaluation in patients with Diabetes mellitus: Optimal management of Multivessel disease (FREEDOM) Trial. American heart journal, 2008 PMID 18215589
- Beller GA, Bonow RO, Fuster V; ACCF 2008 Recommendations for Training in Adult Cardiovascular Medicine Core Cardiology Training (COCATS 3) (revision of the 2002 COCATS Training Statement). American College of Cardiology Foundation; American Heart Association; American College of Physicians Task Force on Clinical Competence and Training. 2008 PMID 18206749
- Love BABarry A. LoveBarry A. Love M.D. is a cardiologist specializing in pediatric and congenital heart problems.Love is currently Director of the Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Director of the Pediatric Electrophysiology Service at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and Assistant Professor of both...
, Parness IA, Fuster V. Membranous septal aneurysm causing right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Clin Cardiol. 2009 Dec;32(12):E87. No abstract available. PMID 20014190 - Sanz G, Fuster V. The Spanish National Cardiovascular Research Center: a new phase. Revista espanola de cardiologia PMID 18221683
- Hirsh J, Fuster V, Ansell J, Halperin JLJonathan L. HalperinJonathan L. Halperin, M.D., is an American cardiologist and the author of Bypass , among the most comprehensive works on the subject of coronary artery bypass surgery. In addition, he is the Robert and Harriet Heilbrunn Professor of Medicine at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine as well as Director...
; American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation. American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation guide to warfarin therapy. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003 May 7;41(9):1633-52. PMID 12742309