Biography

Dr. Mugica graduated from the University of Paris in 1965, and subsequently trained in cardiopulmonary medicine. He then joined the Val D'Or Medical Center in St. Cloud, Paris, where in the early years he practiced pulmonary medicine, cardiology and intensive care. In 1968 Dr. Mugica established the first multi-disciplinary, free-standing pacemaker center in the world. Starting with 60 implantations a year, the center grew rapidly with almost 1,000 pacemaker implantations in l994. The Val D'Or Center quickly became an important center for advanced care, teaching, research and post-graduate training for many international students.

Dr. Mugica created the well-known CARDIOSTIM organization when he realized that progress in cardiac pacing and the proper application of new technology require close collaboration of physicians and industry. The first Cardiostim symposium was held in 1978 and it soon became one of the most important meetings in pacing and electrophysiology, with close to 4,000 participants from all over the world in 1994. Over the years Cardiostim never lost sight of its original mission. The integration of medical and industry scientists within the faculty, and the futuristic themes of many of the scientific sessions have made Cardiostim unique. Indeed, a growing number of industry scientists and physicians now consider Cardiostim the premier meeting in the field. The importance of Cardiostim is reflected by the regular publication of its best papers in a special issue of PACE since 1982 and more recently in two supplements to accommodate defibrillation. Recently other Cardiostim meetings, such as Cardiostim Russia, 1993 and 1995, have emerged under Dr. Mugica's leadership.

Dr. Mugica has lectured all over the world, and is a leading authority on pacemaker leads. He pioneered a number of important developments in pacing: a pacemaker with automatic threshold detection, screw-in leads, Holter systems in pacemakers, multichamber pacing in cardiomyopathy, and the concept of the fully automatic pacemaker, now widely recognized as an achievable goal. Dr. Mugica serves on the editorial boards of 5 journals, including PACE. He has published over 250 articles and 10 books.

Dr. Mugica has received many awards for his contributions to cardiology. These include the Medal of the City of Paris, the Merci Prize from the French Hospital Association, the prestigious Gold Medal from the Societe d'Encouragement au Progres, and many others internationally.

- S. Serge Barold, MD

Interview Excerpts

Dr. Mugica talks about starting the pacemaker program at Val d'Or (3:02; Real Audio)

Dr. Mugica discusses initiating Cardiostim (4:19; Real Audio)

Excerpted from this interview:
Interviewer: Seymour Furman, MD
Date: May 6, 1995
Place: Boston, Massachusetts
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