Barry D. Rutherford, M.D., professor of internal medicine and a world-renowned interventional cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, received the TCT 2012 Geoffrey O. Hartzler Master Clinical Operator Award on Oct. 26 during the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium in Miami. The award is presented annually during the conference, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), to a physician who has advanced the field of interventional cardiovascular medicine through technical excellence and innovation.
Rutherford is known for his expertise in developing techniques for direct balloon angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction and multi-vessel angioplasty at the Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. Among his current research interests are developing new procedures for treating chronic total occlusions in coronary arteries and managing acute myocardial infarction.
Rutherford has also devoted much of his career to physician training and education, teaching countless numbers of physicians over the years. In addition to serving as the principal investigator of a number of clinical trials, Rutherford has authored more than 200 abstracts and publications in peer-reviewed journals and has delivered more than 230 invited lectures around the world.
TCT Directors, Gregg W. Stone, M.D., and Martin B. Leon, M.D., jointly presented the award. Leon is the Founder of CRF. Both serve as Co-Directors of the Medical Research and Education Division at CRF, and direct the annual TCT scientific sessions.
“Dr. Rutherford is highly deserving of the TCT 2012 Geoffrey O. Hartzler Master Clinical Operator Award,” Stone said. “His long-standing commitment to primary PCI and multivessel intervention, and technical expertise in CTO angioplasty have helped to expand the field of interventional cardiovascular medicine and provided physicians with new, more effective ways to treat patients.”
“Dr. Rutherford continues to develop innovative techniques and devices for patients with cardiovascular disease, in addition to serving as mentor and teacher to the next generation of interventional cardiologists,” Leon said.
Rutherford serves as director of the Interventional Cardiology Research Program at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. Prior to his current position, he was a consulting cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, and director of the Coronary Care Unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minn., where he initiated research into pulmonary artery pressure during acute myocardial infarction and computer assisted patient records in the intensive care unit.
Rutherford earned his medical degree at Otago University Medical School (Dunedin, New Zealand) in 1963 and completed his residency training at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and Mayo Foundation for Cardiovascular Diseases.
