Victor Parsonnet | |
---|---|
Born | Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | August 29, 1924
Occupation | Cardiac surgeon |
Victor Parsonnet (born August 29, 1924) is an American cardiac surgeon who contributed significantly to the evolution of cardiac pacemaking.[1]
Parsonnet grew up in Newark, New Jersey and attended Weequahic High School before enrolling at Cornell University.[1][2][3] He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II and then went on to medical school.[1][3] In 1947 he finished his medical studies at New York University School of Medicine.[4][1][3]
In 1955, Parsonnet joined his father's practice at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, in Newark, New Jersey, which his grandfathers, Max Danzis and Victor Parsonnet, co-founded in 1901.[1] Parsonnet conducted research and studied with pioneers of the heart surgery field, Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley (the first person in the United States to perform a heart transplant in 1968).[1] Parsonnet was the first surgeon in New Jersey to implant a permanent pacemaker (1961) and to complete a heart transplant (1985) and kidney transplant.[1][5][3] When asked about his success, he simply says, "I was in the right place at the right time".[1][3]
At Beth Israel, Parsonnet served as Chief of Surgery at Beth Israel, Medical director of the Pacemaker and Defibrillator Evaluation Center and director of Surgical Research.[1]
Parsonnet, helped co-found the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology.[6] He has authored over 600 articles and 5 books.[1] He also holds five patents.[1]
In the community, Parsonnet served as chair of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra for many years.[1][3] He also has been a board member at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ and a board member of the Jewish Historical Society of New Jersey.[1][3]
Parsonnet retired in 2016.[3] In 2019, he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.[1][7] He turned 100 on August 29, 2024.[8]