Mark Edwin Silverman | |
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| Born | June 21, 1939 |
| Died | November 12, 2008 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Known for |
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| Medical career | |
| Profession | |
| Institutions | Piedmont Hospital |
| Sub-specialties | Cardiology |
Mark Edwin Silverman (June 21, 1939 – November 12, 2008) was an American cardiologist, medical historian, medical educator and author of more than 200 medical articles and a number of books, who founded the cardiology program at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
Between 1966 and 1968, at the request of John Willis Hurst, he became a cardiology fellow at the Emory University in Atlanta. His interest in medical photographs led him to produce more than 24 articles on the value of images in the diagnosis of a number of diseases. In 1968, he co-authored an article with Hurst, titled The Hand and the Heart, illustrated with clinical pictures of findings in the hands of people with cardiovascular disease. They demonstrated, using a "Sherlock Holmesian approach", how the condition of the heart might be revealed by clues in the hands. The article made international headlines.
In 1970, a faculty position at Piedmont Hospital was created for him by Hurst, and Silverman subsequently established its first cardiology program. Eight years later, he was made professor at Emory. At Piedmont, he also created one of America's earliest patient education libraries, started programs to help people learn about heart disease and its prevention, and for over 25 years directed Piedmont's coronary care unit.
He made significant contributions to a number of books including British Cardiology in the 20th Century (2000), a collection of 867 quotations by Sir William Osler in The Quotable Osler (2002) and J. Willis Hurst: His Life and Teachings (2007).
In 1979, Silverman became president of the Georgia Chapter of the American Heart Association. In 2000, he was elected president of the American Osler Society, and in 2001 his work in British medical history was rewarded with a fellowship of the Royal Society of Medicine. The Mark E. Silverman Endowed Chair in Cardiology and Education was established in his name.