Victor Parsonnet (August 29, 1924 – December 23, 2024) was an American

cardiac surgeon Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to ...

who contributed significantly to the evolution of cardiac pacemaking.

Life and career

Parsonnet grew up in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

and attended

Weequahic High School Weequahic High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Weequahic section of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The school is operated by the Newa ...

before enrolling at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...

. He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II and then went on to medical school. In 1947 he finished his medical studies at

New York University School of Medicine NYU Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, with the other being the Long Island Schoo ...

. In 1955, Parsonnet joined his father's practice at

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC), previously Newark Beth Israel Hospital, is a 665-bed quaternary care, teaching hospital located in Newark, New Jersey serving the healthcare needs for Newark and the Northern Jersey area. The hospital i ...

, in Newark, New Jersey, which his grandfathers, Max Danzis and Victor Parsonnet, co-founded in 1901. Parsonnet conducted research and studied with pioneers of the heart surgery field,

Michael DeBakey Michael Ellis DeBakey (September 7, 1908 – July 11, 2008) was a Lebanese-American general and cardiovascular surgeon, scientist and medical educator who became Chairman of the Department of Surgery, President, and Chancellor of Baylor College ...

and

Denton Cooley Denton Arthur Cooley (August 22, 1920 – November 18, 2016) was an American heart and cardiothoracic surgeon famous for performing the first implantation of a total artificial heart. Cooley was also the founder and surgeon in-chief of The ...

(the first person in the United States to perform a heart transplant in 1968). Parsonnet was the first surgeon in New Jersey to implant a permanent pacemaker (1961) and to complete a heart transplant (1985) and kidney transplant. When asked about his success, he simply says, "I was in the right place at the right time". At Beth Israel, Parsonnet served as Chief of Surgery at Beth Israel, Medical director of the Pacemaker and Defibrillator Evaluation Center and director of Surgical Research. Parsonnet, helped co-found the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology. He has authored over 600 articles and 5 books. He also held five patents. In the community, Parsonnet served as chair of the

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra The New Jersey Symphony, formerly the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, is an American symphony orchestra based in the state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Symphony is the state orchestra of New Jersey, performing classical subscription concert serie ...

for many years. He also has been a board member at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ and a board member of the Jewish Historical Society of New Jersey. Parsonnet retired in 2016. In 2019, he was inducted into the

New Jersey Hall of Fame The New Jersey Hall of Fame is an organization that honors individuals from the U.S. state of New Jersey who have made contributions to society and the world beyond. The Hall of Fame is a designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, overseen by ...

. He

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cente ...

on August 29, 2024, and died December 23.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsonnet, Victor 1924 births 2024 deaths Physicians from Newark, New Jersey Cornell University alumni New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni Weequahic High School alumni American cardiac surgeons American men centenarians United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy reservists

Life and career

See also

References