In Memoriam—Dr. Bernard Kosowsky

In Memoriam—Dr. Bernard Kosowsky Michael V. Orlov, MD, PhD,* Joshua M. Kosowsky, MD,† John O. Pastore, MD‡ From the *The Miriam and Rhode Island Hospitals, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, †Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, and ‡Steward St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts. The unexpected death of Dr. Bernard D. Kosowsky on November 19, 2015, brought an abrupt end to an illustrious career in clinical cardiology, one dedicated to the highest values of clinical innovation, patient care, and the teaching of young physicians. Bernard David Kosowsky (Figure 1) was born in the Bronx, New York on May 30, 1937, the son of Eastern European immigrants. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1962, and he was always proud to have been the first traditionally observant Jewish student to maintain the practice of faith through the rigors of his training. From 1962 to 1964, Dr. Kosowsky was deployed by the Public Health Service to the first ever electrophysiology laboratory, led by Dr. Anthony Damato at the Staten Island Public Health Hospital. There, an ambitious group of pioneers laid the groundwork for the field that would later become clinical electrophysiology. As a young but prolific member of this group, Dr. Kosowsky was credited for a number of their key discoveries, including His-bundle recording and pacing, but in his own modest way, he would state: “I was just lucky to have been there.” Following this amazing residency, Dr. Kosowsky became a fellow in cardiology under the legendary W. Proctor Harvey and followed down his path of the classic clinical diagnosis as a simple but very sensitive bedside tool. Later, Dr. Kosowsky arrived in Boston to study under another legendary figure, Dr. Bernard Lown. In 1971, Dr. Kosowsky founded and grew the Division of Cardiology at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston. While he continued to make new discoveries in electrophysiology (several were never duly credited to him), clinical teaching emerged as the main focus of Dr. Kosowsky’s career, as he established one of the leading fellowships in clinical cardiology.

Figure 1 Dr. Bernard D. Kosowsky seeing patients circa 1977: explaining the intricacies of the cardiac conduction system.

Throughout the years, Dr. Kosowsky remained a devoted physician to his patients and a tireless teacher to medical students and young physicians. His famous teaching rounds would focus attention on seemingly minor details that turned out to be decisive clues. Dr. Kosowsky continued seeing a full caseload of patients in the office and taking clinical calls on the wards at the age of 78. He died suddenly while bicycling to work on a rainy day in November. Patients were still waiting for him to arrive in the clinic after he had passed. They refused to believe that he was gone.

Dr. Bernard D. Kosowsky seeing patients circa 1977, explaining the intricacies of the cardiac conduction system. Address reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Michael V. Orlov, Brown Medical School, The Miriam and Rhode Island Hospitals, 165 Summit Ave, Providence, RI 02906. E-mail address: [email protected].

1547-5271/$-see front matter B 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Heart Rhythm Society.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2016.08.027