On 6 May, at the Heart Rhythm 2011 Awards Ceremony and Presidents’ Reception, Douglas L Packer passed the ceremonial gavel to Bruce L Wilkoff.
Packer, now immediate past president of the society, is a consultant in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic Rochester. He is the director of Heart Rhythm Services and Director of the Translational Electrophysiology Research Laboratory.
Packer passes the presidency to Wilkoff, who has been a member of the HRS since 1985. Wilkoff is a staff cardiologist and director of Cardiac Pacing and Tachyarrhythmia Devices in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. In addition, he is professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University.
Wilkoff has held numerous leadership positions with the HRS, including Abstract Chair of the Scientific Sessions Program Committee, co-chair of the Strategic Priority Work Force Task Force, and a member of the Executive and Finance Committees. Moreover, Wilkoff participates in the society’s Lead Performance Writing Group, Lead Performance Recommendations Task Force, AF 360º Task Force and is a former chair of the Health Policy Committee.
Wilkoff specialises in the treatment of heart rhythm disorders, implantation of defibrillators and the computerised analysis of cardiac pacemakers and electrophysiologic studies. He is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, and has served on the examination writing committee for Special Competency in Cardiac Pacing and Defibrillation since 1988.
Wilkoff completed his undergraduate work at Northwestern University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering, and received a medical degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus. He completed his clinical training in internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland, followed by a fellowship in cardiology from University Hospitals and a fellowship in research from the Ohio State University Hospital and School of Veterinary Medicine. Wilkoff joined the Cleveland Clinic in 1987.
