BOSTON: Professor Shahbuddin Rahimtoola was presented with the Distinguished Fellowship Award at the 21st World Congress of the International Academy of Cardiology held at Boston.
Founder and Chairman of the IAC Dr. Asher Kimchi, together with Co-Chairmen Dr. Jeffrey S. Borer and Dr. John A. Elefteriades, headed a committee comprised of 225 of the world’s leading cardiologists and scientists that reviewed a prestigious list of nominees and voted for their top choice.
The other two recipients of the award on the occasion were Charles H. Hennekens [Sir Richard Doll Professor, Florida Atlantic University] and Nanette K. Wenger [Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) Emeritus, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta].
Dr Rahimtoola currently serves as Distinguished Professor at University of Southern California and is the Griffith Professor of Cardiology.
Shahbuddin Rahimtoola’s specialties include cardiovascular disease, valvular heart disease and coronary artery disease. His research interests include pharmacological treatment of valvular and coronary artery diseases, valvular and coronary artery surgery and hibernating myocardium.
He has had over 510 scientific articles published and has made over 1400 presentations within the United States and internationally. He has edited 11 textbooks.
Professor Rahimtoola has been recipient of several awards through his career including the
Distinguished Alumnus from Mayo Foundation, European Society of Cardiology Gold Medal, Master of the American College of Cardiology, Sheikh Hamdan Recognition Award, Gifted Teacher from the American College of Cardiology, Distinguished Scientist to name a few.
He was recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Cardiology in 2013 – being only the fifth person at the time to do so. He has been credited for his contributions to two clinical syndromes namely the hibernating myocardium and prosthetic valve mismatch.
Shahbuddin Rahimtoola was alumnus of Dow Medical College Karachi in 1954 – he accordingly pursued his career in the United Kingdom initially followed by United States from 1963 onward. He has been patron of All Pakistan Cardiologists of North America [APCNA] – a body which has grown in strength since its inception in the early 2000s. At a function held at the Governor House Sindh to honor him with a DSc honorary degree in 2002 he mentioned ‘every day I say a prayer for the betterment of Pakistan’.
Dr Shahbuddin Rahimtoola’s younger brother Professor Shamsuddin Rahimtoola was a well known Pakistani Physician and remained Principal of Dow Medical College and Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital Karachi.
The digital library at the college was recently named after him.
