© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.
Editorial |
In Memoriam
Arthur Mu-En Lee
From the Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Mass.
Correspondence to Dr Peter Libby, Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 221 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail plibby@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
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Introduction |
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Dr Arthur Mu-En Lee, a rising star in vascular biology and a valued member of the Circulation Research Editorial Board, died unexpectedly in April 2000. His passing, unanticipated and premature, is a grievous loss not only for his family and friends but also for the entire field of cardiovascular science.
Dr Lee distinguished himself from his days as a medical student at his beloved Kaohsiung Medical College in Taiwan. His brilliance there was legendary, and he garnered support for his quest for further scientific training in the United States. He transferred to the University of California at San Francisco, where he earned a doctoral degree with Dr David Ramsey, studying the roles of cardiopulmonary and high-pressure arterial baroreceptors in the control of renin, ACTH, and vasopressin secretion.
After his graduate work in San Francisco, Dr Lee completed training in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic. Even while engaged in full-time clinical training, Dr Lee’s passion for research led him to work in Dr John Burnett’s laboratory, where he explored the clinical ramifications of the physiology of natriuretic peptides. The late Dr Edgar Haber then recruited Dr Lee to the Massachusetts General Hospital, where he completed training in both cardiology and molecular biology with Dr Tom Quertermous. This move heralded a highly productive period. Dr Lee performed important early studies on the regulation of expression of the gene encoding a then newly recognized vascular hormone, endothelin.
When Dr Haber relocated to the Harvard School of Public
Health, Dr Lee led the