1951 - Biography
Dr. Antzelevitch is the Executive Director and Director of Research of the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory (MMRL), an internationally prominent biomedical research institute located in Utica, NY. He also holds an academic appointment as Professor of Pharmacology at the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse and an endowed chair in Experimental Cardiology (Gordon K. Moe Scholar) at the MMRL. Dr. Antzelevitch succeeded Dr. Gordon K. Moe, who served as Director of the institute from 1959 to 1984.
Dr. Antzelevitch's career has been highlighted by a number of awards. Recent awards include the Distinguished Service Award of the RAM Medical Research Foundation, the Charles Henry Johnson Medal and the Distinguished Achievement Medal of the Grand Lodge of Masons of NYS, being named the 1995 Leonard Horowitz Lecturer of the Philadelphia Arrhythmia Group, the 1997 Alfred Farah Lecturer of the Department of Pharmacology at the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, and the 2001 Rijlant Lecturer at the International Congress of Electrocardiology. He was elected a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology in 1996 and is listed in nearly a dozen Who's Who and International Directories of distinguished leaders and men of science. From 1996 to 1988 he served as President of the international Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, a society of basic and clinical scientists and physicians from countries throughout the world specializing in cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias. He currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the Society.
Throughout his professional life, he and his research team have remained in the forefront in research dealing with experimental cardiology. His contributions to the scientific literature include over 160 original papers and book chapters, over 190 abstracts and one book which he has authored or co-authored. His contributions and those of his colleagues have made an important impact on the progress of science and medicine, particularly in areas involving the electrical function of the heart in health and disease and factors that contribute to the development of abnormal rhythms of the heart including sudden cardiac death. He is an internationally renowned authority in these areas and is a often invited to speak at international symposia and to present seminars and Cardiology Grand Rounds at medical schools and institutes throughout the world. His scientific achievements include 1) the discovery and characterization of reflected reentry and phase 2 reentry as mechanisms of extrasystolic activity capable of precipitating life-threatening ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation; 2) demonstration of electrical heterogeneity within ventricular myocardium, which has opened a new door to our understanding of electrophysiology and pharmacology of the heart and mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis; 3) delineation of the cellular and ionic basis for the long QT and Brugada syndromes; and 4) the cellular and ionic basis fore the J wave and T wave of the ECG.
His contribution to the training of promising young scientists and physicians is evidenced by his students' first place or finalist standing in seven international Young Investigator Award competitions at the American College of Cardiology, the North American Society for Pacing and Electrophysiology and the International Society for Computerized Electrocardiography. He is a member of the Editorial Board of several prestigious journals and serves as reviewer for a long list of professional scientific medical journals in the cardiovascular field.
Dr. Antzelevitch is a member of and has served as Chairman of a number of committees at the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the North American Society for Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE). He currently serves as Secretary, and as a member of the Board of Trustees, Finance committee and Program Committee of North American Society for Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE) and the Program Committee of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
Dr. Antzelevitch strives to give generously of his time to the local community. He currently serves as a member of the Faxton Hospital Institutional Review Board, AHA Northeast Consortium Steering Committee, and Board of Directors of the New York State Affiliate of the American Heart Association.
Interview Excerpts
Early work with parasystole (1:56 seconds)
Work in the field of heterogeneity (2:49 seconds)
Excerpted from this interview:
Interviewer: Craig T. January, MD
Date: May 10th, 2002
Place: San Diego, California, USA
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