Endowment will help university train future heart specialists
A University of Texas Medical Branch alumnus has established an endowment in memory of his brothers to help the institution train physicians who will specialize in caring for heart patients. Dr. John C. Price created the Melvin L. Price, M.D. and Charles A. Price, D.D.S. Endowment for Cardiology Fellowship Training to support young doctors’ education as they learn the nuances of treating heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Price’s brothers both died of cardiovascular disease.
Price said he wanted to establish the endowment to ensure that UTMB can train more cardiologists who will be skilled at helping patients with heart problems make full recoveries.
“The twin goals are to provide more effective therapy for those with heart disease and to encourage early identification of individuals at risk for subsequent intervention to modify and ultimately prevent the morbidity of cardiac and vascular disease,” said Price, a head and neck surgeon.
Cardiovascular disease has been the No. 1 overall cause of death in the United States every year since 1900, with the exception of 1918 during a global flu pandemic. The American Heart Association reports that in 2004, the most recent year available statistically, CVD was responsible for 869,724 deaths. Texas Department of State Health Services records show that more than 49,900 adults died primarily because of heart disease that year. Some 1.4 million Texans age 18 and older reportedly had CVD in 2006.
Cardiovascular disease is a group of ailments that include heart disease, congestive heart failure and stroke. Strokes and heart attacks are caused partly by narrowed or blocked arteries that lead to decreased blood supply to the brain and heart. Risk factors for CVD include, age, heredity, being male, high blood pressure, smoking, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity and obesity.
Dr. David L. Callender, UTMB president, said the Price Endowment for Cardiology Fellowship Training would help extend the university’s first-rate training opportunities for physicians. “I’m grateful to Dr. Price for making this generous contribution to his alma mater,” Callender said. “His endowment will support the development of highly skilled fellows’ care by a greater number of cardiologists and will enable us to build on UTMB’s experience as a leader in cardiology training.”
Added Dr. Ken Fujise, director of UTMB’s Division of Cardiology, “Dr. Price’s endowment will help us develop an even richer learning environment for cardiology fellows who are eager to excel in the field. I deeply appreciate his gracious gift as we train future generations of cardiologists who will provide compassionate, patient-centered care.”
In addition to his recent endowment, Price has contributed to cardiology research at the university to aid the development of new treatments and procedures that reduce functional impairment and death from cardiovascular disease. Price, who graduated from UTMB’s School of Medicine in 1970, resides in Maryland.