Smith To Hold Cardiology's New Mazzoleni Chair
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 16, 2010) — Dr. Mikel Smith has been named the inaugural Alberto Mazzoleni Professor of Cardiology at the University of Kentucky. Smith presently serves as Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the UK HealthCare Gill Heart Institute Echocardiography Laboratory.
In 2007 the UK Division of Cardiovascular Medicine created the Mazzoleni Professorship to honor recently retired physician, Dr. Alberto Mazzoleni, for his extraordinary accomplishments and lifetime of service in training generations of physicians and treating thousands of patients. Through the generosity of over 50 former residents and fellows from across the country, along with current faculty and community donors, funds committed to the endowment now stand beyond $300,000.
In keeping with Dr. Mazzoleni’s legacy as an educator and lifelong student, the endowment "will provide support to the holder through the funding of activities related directly to continued education of the appointed professor and his/her staff." The endowment interest may also be used to fund educational supplements for the professor’s use in teaching. The Mazzoleni Endowed professorship the first true teaching professorship in the Division of Cardiology, as the incumbent will concentrate on teaching the next generation of cardiovascular medicine specialists.
"Dr. Smith is without a doubt the right choice to serve as the first Mazzoleni Endowed Professor. Like Dr. Mazzoleni, he has dedicated his career not just to excellent clinical care, but to ensuring the future of medicine in Kentucky by training decades’ worth of students and young physicians. Dr. Smith's reach extends beyond his own patients, and into the practice of each of his former students, residents and fellows. He continues the legacy of Dr. Mazzoleni, and we are pleased that he will be the first to occupy the professorship named for his own mentor," said Dr. David J. Moliterno, chief of the UK Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Medical Director of the Gill Heart Institute.
About Dr. Smith:
Smith, who graduated from Paducah Tilghman High School and Murray State University, attended the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, graduating in 1973. Following internship, residency and fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia, he joined the UK faculty in 1982, and has taught new physicians and treated Kentucky heart patients for nearly 30 years. Smith served as the Associate Chairman for Academic Affairs in the Department of Internal Medicine, and since 1992 has been a full professor of Internal Medicine and Cardiology. He is also presently the director of the UK Chandler Medical Center and Gill Heart Institute Echocardiography and Noninvasive Stress Laboratories, and Medical Director of the Cardiovascular Sonographer Training Program.
As a young physician himself, Smith was mentored by Mazzoleni, and plans to continue in the tradition of his mentor by educating new doctors. Throughout his career, Smith has taught a variety of courses for the College of Medicine, and has served as a lecturer, clinical tutor and adviser to students and physicians. He has received numerous teaching awards at UK, and has served as a teacher and mentor to students in all years of medical school, as well as many residents and fellows.
Outside of the classroom and clinic, Smith has contributed to 94 published research articles, 14 book chapters, and has presented 103 abstracts at conference in the U.S. and internationally.
Smith has two adult children, Ellen and Ben. He and his wife, Annette, live in Lexington, Ky. His mother, Helen Jean Smith, lives in Murray, Ky., where his father (the late Dr. Charles G. Smith) was an Emeritus Professor in Biology at Murray State University.
About Dr. Mazzoleni:
For more than 40 years, Alberto Mazzoleni, M.D., has provided care to patients in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He started his career in Lexington in 1961 as assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and as assistant chief of medical services at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Since that time, his commitment to the treatment of cardiovascular disease has clearly been demonstrated through his continued service to the community.
Dr. Mazzoleni’s dedication to medicine extends far beyond clinical service into academia. Amongst his colleagues, Dr. Mazzoleni is referred to as “Master Teacher of EKG.” Medical students, residents and fellows, likewise, share this sentiment – he is a recipient of a S.A.M.A. Golden Apple Award for Clinical Teaching.
A graduate of Universityof Milan Medical School, Dr. Mazzoleni continued his medical training at Hospital L. Devoto prior to studying at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He has also practiced medicine at Miriam Hospital in Providence, Lemuel Shattuck in Boston as well as Boston City Hospital. Dr. Mazzoleni is a retired professor of Internal Medicine at UK and was the heart station co-director at Veterans Affairs Medical Center.