Computing in Cardiology – In memory of Galen Wagner

Sadly, we learned that Galen Wagner died on July 13th 2016.

Galen Wagner hosted the 2007 CinC congress in his home town, Durham, North Carolina. He was a convinced and strong defender of the principle that multidisciplinary inputs from very diverse viewpoints are largely beneficial for advancing the limits of knowledge and understanding of the mechanism behind cardiac function. His remarkable ability to connect researchers in different countries working on related topics has led to different types of invitational Research Symposia; one of them, the STAFF Symposium, started in 1997 and most often was arranged in connection with CinC, though not formally connected, and hence it benefited from the joint presence of many people in the field. The STAFF Symposia focused on ECG manifestations of myocardial ischemia, bringing together physician-scientists, biomedical engineers, and researchers in industry. Galen leaves a legacy as clinician-scientist, mentor and friend that spans many countries and numerous publications. He was an author on more than 500 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 8 books, and for the past 11 years he was the Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Electrocardiology. The professional activity perhaps most important to him has been the mentoring of young research investigators. Galen combined passion and intensity with unusual modesty about his own accomplishments, giving credit to others’ achievements.

Pablo Laguna
President of CinC Board of Directors