The Department of Internal Medicine is pleased to announce the following professorial promotions to Professor of Clinical Medicine.
Mark H. Schoenfeld, MD, FACC, FAHA, FHRS (Cardiovascular Medicine)
BS: Yale College
MD: Harvard Medical School
Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital
Fellowship: Massachusetts General Hospital
Research Fellow: Harvard Medical School
Mark Schoenfeld, MD, has been a member of the Yale faculty since 1987, serving as a clinical professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine as well as professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Frank H. Netter, MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University. He also established the Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing Laboratories at Yale New Haven Hospital’s Saint Raphael Campus and Saint Mary's Hospital.
Schoenfeld was an early pioneer in cardiac electrophysiology. He was one of the original investigators in the development of life-saving implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy. He specializes as well in catheter ablation, a procedure for the treatment and potential cure of cardiac arrhythmias. His current research is focused on improving the ability to remotely monitor pacemaker and defibrillator devices.
Schoenfeld was one of the first fellows to enroll in cardiac electrophysiology training at Massachusetts General Hospital. It’s a decision that transformed his career. He has since co-authored multiple clinical guidelines through the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), and Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), including:
- ACC/AHA/HRS Device-Based Therapy of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities
- ACC/AHA/HRS Guidelines on the Evaluation and Management of Patients with Bradycardia and Conduction Block
- HRS Expert Consensus Document on CIED Lead Management and Extraction
- HRS guidelines for Cardiac Physiological Pacing
He has been a reviewer and editorial board member for many medical and cardiology journals; he has lectured internationally and chaired the Annual HRS Scientific Sessions. He has served on multiple committees and task forces for the American College of Cardiology and Heart Rhythm Society and has held many leadership positions, including President of HRS and Governor of the Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Cardiology.
Schoenfeld has also been active in health care policy and regulatory affairs, working with the FDA on drug and device approval and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by serving on the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) of the American Medical Association which advises CMS on reimbursement.
What does your promotion mean to you?
Having been a full professor on the voluntary faculty for many years, my promotion to professor as full-time faculty recognizes that contributions to the field of medicine may be made throughout our careers, and through a variety of venues; it is rewarding and greatly appreciated to have my contributions acknowledged by my peers.
What was the first thing you did when you found out you were promoted to professor?
I told my wife, who has been steadfast in her support of me during seemingly endless years of education and additional training, administered my clinical practice, and guided me through the trials and tribulations of a career in medicine; next I told my three daughters- I had given my oldest her diploma when she graduated from Yale School of Medicine!
What are you proud of most thus far in your career?
Having been able to “do it all,” namely have a career that allows me to engage in a busy clinical practice, to teach at all levels (college students, medical students, residents, fellows), to undertake clinical research and trials, to be involved in advising the government/AMA in reimbursement and regulatory affairs as it impacts upon the fields of cardiology/cardiac electrophysiology, to write medical guidelines, and to have leadership roles in professional societies (Serving as president of the Heart Rhythm Society as well as CT governor for the American College of Cardiology)—all for the betterment of patients as regards their quality of life and longevity.
What is your favorite part of academia?
Teaching and mentoring young physicians and emerging leaders, learning from them at the same time, and simultaneously keeping up with my own past mentors/professors and colleagues; at the same time contributing long-lasting insights to the practice of medicine, whether through research or the development of clinical guidelines.
Tell us a fun fact about you—something people may find surprising.
I have been a childhood model as well as a probation officer for the State of Connecticut, taught inmates both in New Haven and in Boston prisons, and was an actor in my pre-medical life.