Tributes

Frederick Ferris Samaha, MD, 47, of Villanova, PA, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Chief of Cardiology at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, passed away on August 26, 2008 after a long illness. Dr. Samaha was born January 28, 1961, in Santa Monica, CA. He received his BA in chemistry from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and his MD degree from the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago and a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was also in the Public Health Service. He subsequently completed a subspecialty fellowship in cardiology at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Dr. Samaha practiced cardiology in the University of Pennsylvania Health System at Phoenixville Hospital before assuming the role of Chief of Cardiology at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Under his leadership, the Cardiology Division at the Philadelphia VA established nationally recognized programs in cardiovascular medicine and clinical research, achievements for which Dr. Samaha was personally recognized by receiving the highest award from the national Veterans Administration. In his role as Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Samaha taught medical students, internal medicine residents, and cardiology fellows, for which he received many teaching awards. Dr. Samaha was also an accomplished researcher. After several years of research in vascular biology, he turned his focus to examining the role of obesity and metabolic syndrome on heart disease. His study comparing low fat to low carbohydrate diets, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003, influenced dietary recommendations of cardiologists and nutritionists across the U.S. He subsequently received a research grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the effect of sleep apnea on cardiovascular risk, and was one of the principal investigators of a nation-wide clinical research trial evaluating the role of raising HDL cholesterol in reducing heart attacks. He published over 50 research articles and review papers in such medical journals as the New England Journal of Medicine, the Annals of Internal Medicine, and Nature Clinical Practice Cardiovascular Medicine. In recognition of his achievements, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Samaha attended Radnor Friends Meeting, was an avid runner, and enjoyed singing and playing the guitar, but his passion was spending time with his wife and children. Those who knew him will remember and be inspired by his fighting spirit, determination, and energy; his sense of humor and love of life. He is survived by his wife Dr. Carol Chou; children Sophia and Alexander; sister Dr. Michelle Kennedy, brother James Samaha; and parents Dr. Frederick and Claire Samaha.A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 10:30 am at the Haverford Friends Meeting, 851 Buck Lane, Haverford, PA. A luncheon at the Springfield Country Club will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to one of the following: Friends School Haverford, the Radnor Monthly Meeting, or the Brain Tumor Society’s Race for Hope under Team Rick Samaha.

Tributes

Dr. Frederick Ferris Samaha

January 28, 1961 - August 26, 2008