Endowed Cardiology Chair Named for Dr. Anthony DeMaria

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 29, 2012) — The University of Kentucky has honored Dr. Anthony N. DeMaria by establishing the Anthony N. DeMaria Chair in Cardiovascular Imaging at the Gill Heart Institute. Dr. Vincent L. Sorrell, director of cardiovascular imaging at the UK Gill Heart Institute, was named as the inaugural chair at the October 2012 investiture in Lexington, Ky.

DeMaria was raised in Bayonne, N.J., where he attended Washington School and Marist High School. His parents are the late Anthony DeMaria Sr., and 96-year-old Charlotte DeMaria, who still resides in the family  home in Bayonne. DeMaria graduated from Holy Cross College in Massachusetts, and in 1968 from New Jersey College of Medicine. He completed his cardiology fellowship training at the University of California-Davis and upon completion joined the faculty at the Unversity of California-Davis. 

In 1981, he accepted the position as chief of cardiology at the University of Kentucky.  He remained in that position until 1992 when he accepted the position as professor of medicine and chief, Division of Cardiology at the University of California-San Diego.  In 2004, he founded the University of California San Diego Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center.  His field of specialization is cardiac imaging techniques, particularly echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart).

DeMaria is a diplomate in the American Board of Internal Medicine and is board-certified by the Subspecialty Board in Cardiovascular Disease.  He is past president of the American College of Cardiology as well as past president of the American Society of Echocardiography.  He has served as a member of the Subspecialty Board on Cardiovascular Disease of the American Board of Internal Medicine and chair of the Diagnostic Radiology Study Section of the National Institutes of Health.  DeMaria holds memberships in numerous professional organizations, including the American Heart Association, the American Federation for Clinical Research and the Association of University Cardiologists.

DeMaria is currently the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and has served as an editorial consultant and member of various other editorial boards.  He has authored or co-authored more than 530 articles for medical journals.  DeMaria is listed in the Best Doctors in America, and by Good Housekeeping magazine as one of the Best Heart Doctors in America.

 “Tony brought UK to the forefront in technology and academic exposure and he taught us all how to write and teach. But most of all, he taught us how to be doctors,” said Dr. Mikel Smith, director of the Gill’s Echocardiography Laboratory, speaking of his time as a cardiology fellow under DeMaria.

Asked to describe his feelings upon the chair being named for him, DeMaria said:
“Among the incredible opportunities I’ve had as president of the American College of Cardiology and Echocardiography, serving on the Board of Internal Medicine and being host of “Cardiology Update” [television program], the editor-in-chief of JACC, etc.,etc., this is the biggest honor of my life.”

Remarking on the caliber of faculty currently at the Gill Heart Institute and the fellowship education program, he said: “From everything I’ve seen here, UK is poised to be launched as one of the absolute top cardiovascular programs in the world. The leadership has been extraordinary.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Allison Elliott, allison.elliott@uky.edu