In February 2022, we were deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Dr C. Richard Conti, a legendary cardiovascular educator, researcher, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Dr Conti was a first-class editor who led CVIA with great commitment. The Editorial Board members wish to express their great sadness about the passing of Dr Conti; his enthusiastic and passionate work for the journal will not be forgotten.
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 catheterization 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. He also played an important role in assisting with the development and growth of the Great Wall International Conference of Cardiology which he helped to initiate and co-chaired with Professor Dayi Hu in 1989.
Dr Conti had a passion for teaching, and he shared his knowledge through his work as a writer and editor. 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.
Jianzeng Dong, MD, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications
Dayi Hu, MD, FACC, FESC
Founding Editor, Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications