Brian F. Hoffman ’46

Calling Dr. Brian Hoffman “a father of modern electrophysiology,” Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) said he revolutionized the study of the heart’s arrhythmias, advancing “the abilities of physicians to diagnose and interpret cardiac arrhythmias and conduction disturbances.” He was, said P&S, “one of the first to conduct studies on abnormalities that result from cardiac disease and the responses of cardiac cells to pharmacological agents.” He was among pioneers who changed cardiology by using microelectrodes small enough to record signals from single heart cells.

The American Heart Association bestowed on Brian its Distinguished Achievement Award and Research Achievement Award, saying, “Thousands of patients around the world have benefitted from his research. Few researchers have made such diverse and important contributions to the well-being of mankind.”

Brian co-authored the seminal book The Electrophysiology of the Heart. He chaired the P&S Department of Pharmacology from 1963 to 1995.

Brian died Feb. 11, 2013. His first wife preceded him in death. Survivors include their children, Valerie Edelman, Sheila Hoffman, and Bruce Hoffman. Also surviving Brian are his second wife, the former Isis Rivero; stepdaughters Maria-Teresa Samwick and Alicia Wilson; and four grandchildren. Our condolences go to them all. Their loss is the world’s loss.