In Memoriam: Richard E. Kerber, MD (1939–2016)

Richard E. (Dick) Kerber, MD, FASE, a pioneer in echocardiography, myocardial function, coronary pathophysiology, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, died on 8 November 2016 at 77 years of age. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1939, graduated from Forest Hills High School in Queens in 1956, and then attended Columbia University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in anthropology in 1960. After receiving his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine in 1964, he completed an internship and a year of medical residency training at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. Subsequently, he served as a captain in the United States Army Medical Corps and was assigned initially to Fort Monmouth in New Jersey. Serving in Vietnam from July 1967 to June 1968—first in a mobile Army surgical hospital and later in a small base hospital—he regularly flew on dangerous helicopter evacuation missions to rescue the wounded in the midst of firefights. For this, he was awarded a Bronze Star “for meritorious action against hostile forces.”

After his tour of duty, Dick undertook residency training and a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University Medical Center, where he was quick to recognize the potential of echocardiography, a new technique at the time. He and his wife, Linda Kaufman Kerber, an accomplished historian, were later recruited for excellent jobs at the University of Iowa (UI). Dick ran the echocardiography laboratory and the cardiovascular fellowship program, and served as the associate director (1983–2008) and then as the interim director of the Cardiology Division (2009–2012). Linda became the university's May Brodbeck Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences and served as the president of the American Historical Association (“the other AHA,” Dick would tease).

Dick's translational research career at UI flourished. He used echocardiographic techniques to evaluate myocardial function, coronary flow, coronary physiology and pathophysiology, and valvular function. He helped develop standards for cardiac defibrillation, applying the principles of tissue impedance to define energy for defibrillation thresholds. He also established the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training program for the entire faculty and staff of the UI Hospitals & Clinics in 1971 and led the program for 36 years. Throughout his life, Dick used his expertise to improve the state of public health. He led the American Heart Association's (AHA) first Task Force on the Future of CPR (1990), served on the committees that wrote and updated the AHA's resuscitation guidelines, and participated on the task force that played a major role in having automated external defibrillators (AEDs) installed in airports and other public places.

Dick was a dedicated teacher whose trainees moved on to notable academic institutions in New York, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, the Philippines, Australia, and elsewhere. As a researcher, he authored more than 250 articles, 2 books, nearly 5 dozen book chapters, and more than 330 abstracts. The AHA recognized Dick's contributions to research with its Meritorious Achievement Award (1996), Honoree of Emergency Cardiovascular Care (2000), and the Scientific Councils Distinguished Achievement Award (2001).

James T. Willerson, a good friend and colleague, described Dick as a solid scientist who developed basic concepts of cardiac echocardiography and defibrillation that enabled physicians to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac patients.

In Dick's memory, the American Society of Echocardiography—of which he was a founder and the 11th president (1997–1999)—has established the annual Richard E. Kerber Ethics/Humanitarian Lecture. The lecture, which will begin this year, will feature an ethical dilemma or humanitarian care activity. In addition, UI has established the Richard E. Kerber Memorial CPR Initiative, whose goal is to place AEDs with appropriate signage throughout the buildings on campus and to train substantial numbers of faculty and administrative staff in CPR and in the use of AEDs, in order to be certified as a HEARTSafe Campus.

In their in memoriam article, Drs. David Gutterman and Allyn Mark¹ observed, “Dick had the magnetic qualities of character, intellect, and compassion with a refined moral compass and a perspective of how medicine fits into the broader world. His excellence as a researcher was paralleled by outstanding clinical acumen and a captivatingly engaged teaching style. He was and remains an extraordinary role model and a mensch.”

Dick's trainees, colleagues, and friends will deeply miss him. However, his teaching, mentorship, and research to improve cardiovascular health will endure.