Mark E. Josephson (1943-2017) was an American

cardiologist Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

and writer, who was in the 1970s one of the American pioneers of the medical

cardiology Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

subspecialty of

cardiac electrophysiology Cardiac electrophysiology is a branch of cardiology and Basic Science, basic science focusing on the electrical activities of the heart. The term is usually used in clinical context, to describe studies of such phenomena by invasive (intracardiac ...

. His book titled ''Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology: Techniques and Interpretations'' is widely acknowledged as the definitive treatment of the discipline. He served as Herman Dana Professor of Medicine at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

, director of the Harvard-Thorndike Electrophysiology Institute and Arrhythmia Service and the chief of cardiology at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Career

Josephson was a graduate of Trinity College in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

and subsequently went to medical school at

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (officially known as Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons) is the medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irvin ...

. He completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and his cardiology fellowship at the

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania The Perelman School of Medicine (commonly known as Penn Med) is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private, Ivy League research university located in Philadelphia. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of M ...

.Marchlinski, Francis.
A Biography of Mark E. Josephson, M.D.
''Heart Rhythm Society Online''. Internet, , 2010. After spending two years as a research associate with Anthony Damato at the Staten Island Public Health Service Hospital, he published articles on the electrophysiologic basis and anatomic location of AV nodal reentry and map-guided subendocardial resection to cure

ventricular tachycardia Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach or VT) is a cardiovascular disorder in which fast heart rate occurs in the ventricles of the heart. Although a few seconds of VT may not result in permanent problems, longer periods are dangerous; and multiple ...

, a procedure ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' dubbed "the Pennsylvania Peel" in honor of the Penn cardiology department's surgical innovation. Josephson's work helped to transform electrophysiology from a research field to a powerful clinical discipline for treating patients. Josephson has published over 400 original journal articles and 200 book chapters and reviews and is the author of the textbook of clinical cardiac electrophysiology, ''Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology: Techniques and Interpretations''. First published in 1979, the book has run to seven editions. Josephson worked closely over the years with European cardiac electrophysiology pioneer Hein Wellens, chief of cardiology emeritus at the University of Limburg in Maastricht,

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. For over 30 years, they coached together at high-yield "How to Approach Complex Arrhythmias" course for cardiologists and EP fellows. In the 2000s, they initiated an advanced course "Intracardiac Unknowns" which was attended by most electrophysiology trainees in the USA for over 10 years.

Awards

Throughout his career Josephson won numerous awards. This includes the Career Achievement Award from the University of California San Francisco Medical School as well as the University Medal for Excellence from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

as well as the Distinguished Teacher Award. He has been given the Pioneer Award in Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology from the Heart Rhythm Society. He also received the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

's Paul Dudley White Award and the Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award.

Personal

Josephson and his wife, Joan, married in 1967 and remained married until her death in June 2016. They had two children. He died on January 11, 2017, from cancer, leaving behind two daughters: Rachael and Stephanie Josephsons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Josephson, Mark Cardiac electrophysiologists American cardiologists American health activists Harvard Medical School faculty Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni 2017 deaths 1943 births Fellows of the American College of Cardiology