Richard Conti, MD, MACC, Dr HC, FCP(SA), FESC, FAHA

Feb 24, 2022

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of esteemed cardiovascular researcher and educator, and Editor in Chief of Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications, C. Richard Conti. Dr Conti has been deeply instrumental to the development of the journal since its launch in 2015; the Editorial Board and Publisher will greatly miss his enthusiasm and passion for cardiology research.

We extend our condolences to Dr Conti’s family, in particular to Editorial Board Member, Dr Jamie B. Conti, and to his friends and colleagues.

Dr. Conti’s honored career as a physician, researcher, teacher, administrator and prolific writer and editor spanned six decades. Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1934, Dr. Conti grew up in Bethlehem and graduated from Lehigh University in 1956 and from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1960 as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He trained in internal medicine with the Osler Medical Service of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and completed a fellowship in cardiology at the same institution. Dr. Conti’s training was interrupted for two years when he served in the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1964. He was named chief resident of the Osler Medical Service in 1967, and in 1968, he joined the Johns Hopkins faculty as an assistant professor of medicine, rising to associate professor and medical director of the cardiac catherization laboratory before leaving for the University of Florida.

He served as president of the American College of Cardiology from 1989 to 1990, and was an elected member of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, the Association of University Cardiologists, and the Association of Professors in Cardiology. In 1991, Dr. Conti received an honorary fellowship from the College of Medicine of South Africa (FCP-SA), and in 1996, he was elected to the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars. He was awarded the Gifted Teacher Award from the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology in 1999, and from the American College of Cardiology in 2002. In June 2000, he received a “Docteur Honoris Causa” from the University of Marseilles, and in 2004, he was named China Honorary Chair of the Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology (GW-ICC), Beijing.

Dr. Conti had a passion for teaching, and he shared his knowledge through his work as a writer and editor. He served as editor-in-chief for Educational Program Highlights of the American College of Cardiology for 14 years, for Clinical Cardiology for 13 years and for American College of Cardiology Extended Learning for 10 years. He was an editorial board member for the American Journal of Cardiology, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the European Heart Journal and numerous others. He authored or co-authored more than 700 scientific papers, book chapters and abstracts, and edited six books and wrote two.