The “Father of Echocardiography" has turned 90 years old.
Harvey Feigenbaum, MD, a trailblazer in the field of cardiology and a distinguished professor in the IU School of Medicine Department of Medicine, celebrated this milestone birthday recently. He is the department’s longest-serving active member, with more than 60 dedicated years of service.
Feigenbaum is most known for pioneering the development of the echocardiograph, a device that detects heart disease with sound waves. It is the most widely used cardiac imaging technique in the world. He’s also credited with publishing the first academic textbook on echocardiography – editions of which are still utilized today.
Feigenbaum is a native Hoosier, born and raised in East Chicago, Indiana. He earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and his medical degree from IU School of Medicine. He completed his internship training at Philadelphia General Hospital but returned to Indiana for residency and has remained at IU ever since. He joined the Department of Medicine faculty in the early 1960s.
During his career, Feigenbaum has received awards from numerous professional organizations and carried several notable titles.
He is the founder and a past president of the American Society of Echocardiography and served as editor of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography. The society created the "Feigenbaum Lecture" in 2000 in his honor.
He was made a Distinguished Scientist of the American Heart Association, which is the highest award the organization presents.
He received the Primio Mantevergine Award as "Father of Modern Echocardiography" in Naples, Italy, and he was the recipient of the Pioneer Award from the Mayo Clinic for the development of echocardiography.
Feigenbaum was one of 25 IU School of Medicine distinguished professors who were given a Bicentennial Medal in 2020. These were “awarded to organizations and individuals who, through their personal, professional, artistic or philanthropic efforts, have broadened the reach of Indiana University around the state, nation and world” to mark the university’s bicentennial.
Read more about Feigenbaum’s life in this 2017 interview with The American Journal of Cardiology.
