BOSTON – Marvin A. Konstam, MD, one of the nation’s leading cardiovascular physicians, will be honored at the 2019 Boston Heart and Stroke Ball with one of the American Heart Association’s highest honors.
Dr. Konstam will receive the Paul Dudley White Award during the annual gala held on May 4 at the Westin Boston Waterfront. Dr. Konstam, chief physician executive of the CardioVascular Center at Tufts Medical Center and professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, is widely recognized as an outstanding clinician and clinical scientist, committed to setting the highest standards for care of his patients and for advancing cardiovascular therapeutics.
“Dr. Konstam is a clinician’s clinician,” said Deeb N. Salem, MD, a cardiologist and Tufts Medical Center’s chair of medicine, and 2007 recipient of the Paul Dudley White Award. “The medial students, residents and cardiology fellows who have worked with him have not only learned the clinical skills needed to manage complex cardiovascular conditions, they have learned what it is to be a caring and compassionate caregiver.”
Marvin A. Konstam, MD
As a physician, educator, mentor, and clinical investigator, Dr. Konstam has dedicated his life to improving the outcomes for patients with heart failure. He has published more than 300 articles, and his work is internationally recognized in the areas of ventricular remodeling, novel pharmaceutical and device treatment, and strategies for improving quality of cardiovascular care. Dr. Konstam played a major role in driving recognition of the field of advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology as an official secondary subspecialty of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Konstam was chosen to receive the Paul Dudley White Award by an 11-member committee of prominent Boston physicians from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and Tufts Medical Center.
Since 1974, the award has been given annually to a Massachusetts physician dedicated to cardiovascular or stroke care. It is named in honor of one of Boston’s most revered cardiologists, Paul Dudley White, MD, a founder of the American Heart Association, who is regarded as a pioneer in the field of preventive cardiology.
Dr. Konstam graduated from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his post-graduate training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He previously served as chief of cardiology at Tufts Medical Center for 10 years, before leading the establishment of the CardioVascular Center, a multi-specialty enterprise, organized around the care of patients with cardiovascular disease. The CVC has grown in achievement and stature, including developing one of the leading programs in the country in the areas of advanced heart failure and cardiac transplantation.
Recognized as a generous and successful mentor of medical students, fellows and early career faculty, Dr. Konstam has trained scores of academic and clinical cardiologists. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award from Tufts University School of Medicine and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Heart Failure Society of America.
“Dr. Konstam’s enthusiasm for mentoring and supporting the next generation of cardiovascular investigators and clinicians is apparent,” said Gerald R. Marx, MD, a cardiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and chair of the Paul Dudley White Award selection committee. “His candid style, integrity and work ethic contribute to his reputation as an ideal role model.”
Dr. Konstam has a passion for leadership and for family. He advocates for more training in leadership among medical professionals to drive improvements in health care both locally and nationally. He shows deep respect for all members of the multi-disciplinary team, each of whom contributes importantly to outstanding patient care. Dr. Konstam also believes that family should never be sacrificed in the interest of professional advancement, and that reaching the highest level of empathy and compassion for patients is difficult without the balance of a fulfilling personal life.
Dr. Konstam lives in Boston with his wife, Varda Konstam, PhD. They have two children, Jeremy and Amanda and son-in-law, Seth, and are avid fans of the Boston Celtics.