History of UTHSC Cardiovascular Medicine
Many individuals have contributed to the development of Cardiovascular Medicine at
UTHSC. This is a brief history of developments and key historical figures.
1920-1968 | 1968-1974 | 1974-present
1920-1968: Initial Development of Cardiovascular Medicine at UT
The College of Medicine of the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center (UTHSC)
was established in 1911 in Memphis, prior to the development of cardiovascular medicine
as a sub-specialty discipline. Dr. Neuton Stern had completed his internship at Massachusetts
General Hospital and trained with Sir Thomas Lewis, who developed the clinical application
of the electrocardiogram. When he returned to Memphis, Dr. Stern begin to practice
medicine and teach physiology. He is said to have brought the first ECG to the South
and tutored physicians in the use of electrocardiograms and the developing field of
cardiology. He continued teaching, attaining the rank of Clinical Professor of Medicine,
until his first myocardial infarction.
His son, Thomas Stern, attended the UT College of Medicine and Washington University
School of Medical in St. Louis. He completed his residency at UT Memphis in 1950 and
continued to serve on the faculty of the UT College of Medicine. Dr. Thomas Stern
practiced cardiology with a special interest in preventive cardiology, and was a Clinical
Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at UTHSC. Dr. Thomas Stern was recognized for outstanding
teaching by the UTHSC and for inspiring public service by the Tennessee Medical Association.
In 1992, Dr. Stern made a $1 million gift to the UTHSC establishing the Stern professorship
in cardiovascular medicine.
1968-1974: Development of Cardiovascular Research and Training at UT
Dr. Charles Kossmann was appointed Chief of the Division of Circulatory Disease in
1968 by Dr. Gene Stollerman, then Chairman of the UT Department of Medicine. Dr. Kossmann
earned his BS in 1928, MD in 1931, and the Med. Sc.D. in 1938; all from New York University.
Continuing an early tradition at UT, Dr. Kossmann became one of the nation’s foremost
electrocardiographers. His pioneering electrophysiology research, combined with broad
clinical acumen in internal medicine, made him one of the nation’s foremost educators
in his subspecialty. Dr. Kossmann established a new Division of Circulatory Diseases
that included Sections of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Biophysics, Nephrology, and Pulmonary
Medicine. This division became one of the most productive ones within the College
of Medicine. In 1968 his division received a large training grant in circulatory diseases
from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, which supported the advanced graduate
cardiovascular training for one or two years to 31 physicians, for a period of six
years. In 1971, another large NHLBI grant to the Division helped establishing a Specialized
Center of Research in Hypertension at the UT College of Medicine. The Division of
Circulatory Diseases was reorganized in 1973 to include cardiovascular activities
at the UTHSC affiliated institutions: the Veterans Administration Hospital, the Baptist
Memorial Hospital, the Methodist Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Hospital. In 1982, Dr.
Kossmann was elected Master of the American College of Physicians.
1974-present: Creation and Development of the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Fellowship Program
In 1974, Dr. Jay Michael Sullivan was recruited to UTHSC as Professor of Medicine
and Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases. Dr. Sullivan earned his bachelor
and medical degrees from Georgetown University, and was valedictorian of his medical
school class in 1962. He was the Director of an accredited Cardiovascular Disease
Fellowship Program and maintained these responsibilities until his death in 1999.
During his tenure at the UTHSC, he was internationally recognized expert in the field
of hypertension, particularly for his contributions characterizing salt sensitivity
and its crucial links to vascular reactivity and hemodynamic responses. Later, Dr.
Sullivan also became recognized as an international opinion leader in the management
of cardiac disease in women. For 25 years, Dr. Sullivan provided exemplary leadership
for the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at the UTHSC. As a teacher he inspired
a legion of medical students and residents in translating the basic pathophysiology
of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension to the art of medicine. Indeed, his warm
and cordial bedside manner provided a lasting legacy for his trainees and colleagues.
He trained more than 90 cardiology fellows. An endowed Professorship was created to
honor Dr. Sullivan’s legacy.
Dr. Karl T. Weber was recruited to UTHSC in 1999 as the Neuton Stern Professor of
Cardiovascular Medicine and Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases Training
Program. He received his undergraduate degree from Moravian College and medical degree
from Temple University School of Medicine, where he also completed his internship.
In 1983 Dr. Weber was appointed Director of the Cardiology Division and Cardiovascular
Institute of the Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center and Harold H. Hines, Jr.
Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago. He had served as Chairman of the
Department of Internal Medicine and Director of the Division of Cardiology at the
University of Missouri Health Sciences Center from 1990 to 1997. Dr Weber’s work has
been funded for more than 40 years and he is internationally known for his research
and clinical contributions to the field of heart failure, its pathogenic origins and
pathophysiologic expressions. Among his numerous scientific contributions to the practice
of medicine is his pioneering work into the importance of the heart’s extracellular
matrix and mechanisms responsible for cardiac fibrosis and the dyshomeostasis of macro-
and micronutrients in congestive heart failure. Dr. Weber is a prolific author with
over 550 publications. He serves on several US and international editorial boards.
Dr. Guy Reed joined the University of Tennessee (UT) in 2008 as the Lemuel Diggs Professor
of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center
(UTHSC). He is an internationally recognized cardiologist and physician-scientist,
noted for his work to improve outcomes for cardiovascular disease and stroke patients.
Dr. Reed’s research efforts are fueled by a desire to find better ways to treat ischemic
stroke. More than a decade ago, he set out to identify a safer, more effective therapy
for dissolving blood clots, a frequent cause of strokes. His research, supported by
funding from the National Institutes of Health, yielded a novel blood clot dissolving
agent known as TS23. Since 1989, he has secured over 20 grants, including 11 National Institutes of Health
and four American Heart grants. He holds 23 U.S. patents and has authored more than
90 peer-reviewed publications.