A. John Camm, MD, FHRS

The Heart Rhythm 2008 Founder's Lecture recipient is A. John Camm, MD, FHRS, who will present on Thursday, May 15 during the AF Summit Update. His lecture is entitled, “AF in the Next Half-Decade: What Will Matter Most.”

Meet John Camm

Professor John Camm was the 1965 Exhibitioner at Guy's Hospital Medical School in London, England. After qualifying in 1971, he worked at Guy's Hospital for three years and then spent a year in the United States (Burlington, Vermont) before working at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London. He spent 12 years there, first as a Junior, then as a Welcome Senior Lecturer and finally as the Sir Ronald Bodley Scott Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine. In 1986, Professor Camm moved to St. George's Hospital Medical School in London as Professor of Clinical Cardiology (British Heart Foundation). Professor Camm was elected the Chairman of Medicine in October 1990, a post rotated from in 1995. He is now the Chairman of the Division of Cardiac and Vascular Sciences at St. George’s University of London.

Professor Camm has a broad range of professional interests. His major speciality is cardiac arrhythmias but he is also much involved in clinical cardiac electrophysiology, cardiac pacemakers, risk stratification in post myocardial infarction, heart failure and cardiomyopathy patients. He has a major interest in cardiovascular safety of cardiac and non-cardiac drugs. John has given over 1500 lectures to national and international audiences, written more than 1000 peer review papers and over 250 detailed reviews. He has authored three and edited twelve (12) books including the only British full-sized textbook of cardiology (Diseases of the Heart), a major text on cardiac electrophysiology (Electrophysiological Disorders of the Heart) and the European Society of Cardiology Textbook on Cardiovascular Medicine.

He is a Fellow of The Royal College of Physicians (London and Edinburgh) and also a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the Council of Geriatric Cardiology,and the European Society of Cardiology. He is also a member of the British Cardiac Society, the Heart Rhythm United Kingdom, the European Heart Rhythm Association and the Heart Rhythm Society (USA and Canada). Camm is a past Chairman of the European Working Group of Cardiac Arrhythmias, a past President of the British Pacing & Electrophysiology group, the past President of the British Cardiac Society and a past Council Member of the Royal College of Physicians of London. He is currently Convenor for the University of London.

Professor Camm is a former Member of the Board of Trustees of the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology and the British Cardiac Society, the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the British Heart Foundation. He is a current Board Member and Trustee of The American College of Cardiology, Board member of the International Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology Society (ICPES) and the Council Member of the European Heart Rhythm Association. He has recently relinquished Chairmanship of the Joint Cardiology Committee (Royal College of Physicians) and has become the Director Designate of the European Society of Cardiology Research Foundation. He is past Chairman of the Ventricular Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death Guidelines Group (AHA, ACC, ESC). He currently chairs the Acute Coronary Syndrome (NICE) Guidelines committee.

Professor Camm has also devoted himself to assisting charities concerned by cardiology and especially cardiac arrhythmias. He is a regular spokesperson for the British Heart Foundation, a Patron of the Bart’s City Lifesaver Scheme, the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome charity, and is President of the Arrhythmia Alliance, the umbrella group for all UK charities concerned with cardiac rhythm disturbances and a founder Trustee of the Atrial Fibrillation Association, a UK patient care and support group.

He is Editor-in-Chief of Europace, an editor of Clinical Cardiology and the founding editor of Cardiology in the Elderly. Until recently he was a senior editor of PACE and co-editor of JICE. He is co-editor of a standard text in the field of cardiac arrhythmias: Electrophysiological Disorders of the Heart, and he edits the European Society of Cardiology Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. Recently he has been the co-founder and co-editor of Heartpodcast.org.

Professor Camm is also a recipient of many honors, including the Queen’s Honorary Physician for his work in originally setting up and contributing to the medical protection of the Queen and the Royal Family over a period of 25 years, and Commander of the Venerable Order of St. John of Jerusalem for his contribution to teaching and service in the St. John Ambulance Brigade. He has received several distinguished teaching awards, including Distinguished Teacher Award from the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology, for his effective and eloquent teaching of cardiology and related medical issues at both national and international forums. In 2005, he was the recipient of the European Society of Cardiology Gold Medal