Pioneering UM Cardiologist Louis Lemberg Passes Away
Louis Lemberg, M.D., a retired Miller School professor of cardiology who was known as much for his compassion as his clinical and research accomplishments — including the clinical development of the implantable demand pacemaker in 1964 —passed away peacefully at home on January 31.
Dr. Lemberg was 95. At the time of his death, he was surrounded by his close friends and family members, including Miriam, his wife of 41 years.
“Louis was a wonderful man and an outstanding leader and accomplished physician who contributed so much to the advancement of cardiology and medical education,” said Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs. “The entire Miller School and UHealth family will miss him greatly. We send our deepest condolences to Miriam and the entire Lemberg family.”
A native of Chicago, Dr. Lemberg joined Jackson Memorial Hospital in 1948 and was appointed to the teaching faculty of the University of Miami Medical School when it opened in 1952. That association endured as Dr. Lemberg built a successful career in academic medicine.
He helped establish the Division of Cardiology, and in 1955 he organized the first Division of Electrocardiography, where he served as director for two decades. In 1966 he designed and developed the original Coronary Care Unit at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, the first of its kind east of the Mississippi. He served as the unit’s director for 11 years.
Dr. Lemberg also received numerous honors for his original contributions to the use of pacemakers for irregularities in cardiac rhythm. His pioneering efforts contributed to the success of the demand pacemaker, which delivers a pacing pulse only when the heart fails to produce its own beat, an advantage that made it the most widely used pacemaker in the world. He also conducted pioneering research in the use of beta blockers for heart attack victims.
“Dr. Lemberg was a remarkable human being and physician who has left an indelible mark on the city of Miami and on the Miller School in particular,” said Joshua Hare, M.D., Louis Lemberg Professor of Medicine and director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the Miller School. “He had an extraordinary influence on cardiovascular medicine and medical education. His passing is a great loss for the medical community at large and for the Miller School, particularly the members of the Cardiovascular Division.
The Lemberg Chair, which Dr. Hare now holds, was established 23 years ago when Miriam Lemberg asked Miller School Dean Emeritus Bernard Fogel, M.D., to help her endow a chair in her husband’s name. Within a year, they raised $1.5 million for the chair.
Soon after, Dr. Lemberg demonstrated his characteristic generosity, seeking Dean Fogel’s help in honoring his wife with a lecture series—the Miriam Lemberg Visiting Professorship in Cardiovascular Disease Lecture.
Dr. Lemberg published more than 220 articles and monographs in numerous national and international cardiovascular journals, serving on some of their editorial boards or as editor-in-chief. He also authored textbooks on cardiovascular disease. Until recently, Dr. Fogel said, Dr. Lemberg was still writing papers.
“I had the unique pleasure of being one of Dr. Lemberg’s students in the late 1950s and he remained a colleague and dear friend for 55 years,” said Dr. Fogel. “He was a remarkable human being who made monumental contributions to the Miller School, to our community, and to the study and practice of cardiology.”
Outside of UM, Dr. Lemberg filled many roles. He was director of cardiology at Dade County Hospital from 1953-1957, electrocardiography professor at Mount Sinai Hospital from 1951-1964, chief of staff at the National Children’s Hospital from 1959-1966, and chief of the Division of Cardiology at Mercy Hospital from 1974-1979. He also served as president of the Heart Association of Greater Miami and the Florida Heart Association.
Services for Dr. Lemberg were held February 2. Donations in Dr. Lemberg’s memory can be made to the Miriam Lemberg Visiting Professorship and the Louis Lemberg Chair at the Miller School. Please contact Olga M. Bellido de Luna, senior development director at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
