S. Gilbert Blount Jr., MD

S. Gilbert Blount, Jr., MD was born in Providence, Rhode Island on May 19, 1916. He received his Bachelor of Science degree at Rhode Island State College in 1939. After receiving his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1943, he completed his internal medicine residency and a cardiology residency at Rhode Island Hospital and a senior residency in internal medicine at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital and the Bowman-Gray School of Medicine. He then served in the Army Medical Corp from 1944 to 1947, including 1-1/2 years as a Chief of the Cardiovascular Section at Oliver General Hospital in Augusta, Georgia. Following discharge from the Army, Dr. Blount then completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiology under Dr. Helen Taussig at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a fellowship in the cardiovascular laboratory under Dr. Richard Bing. In September 1950, Dr. Blount was recruited by Dr. Henry Swan to the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center to develop the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. He subsequently founded the Division of Cardiology, which he headed for 30 years. During his tenure as Division Head of Cardiology, Dr. Blount founded the Cardiovascular Pulmonary Laboratory. Approximately 140 cardiologists completed their fellowship training under Dr. Blount's direction. Dr. Blount has served on numerous editorial boards including the American Journal of Cardiology and the American Heart Journal. He is author or coauthor of over 235 scientific publications. He has given numerous lectureships over the years and has been Visiting Professor at a number of medical schools. His awards include election to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. The American College of Cardiology has recognized him with the Cummings Humanitarian Award and the Gifted Teacher Award in 1980. The American Heart Association recognized his research contributions by awarding him the Research Achievement Award in 1962. The department of the Army awarded him the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in July 1970. The University of Colorado recognized Dr. Blount's outstanding teaching accomplishments with the Gold-headed Cane Award in 1977 and in 1991 he received the Joseph Sewall Award. He was honored as Professor of Medicine Emeritus in Cardiology in 1996. Dr. Blount was elected to the Central Society for Clinical Research in 1957, the Western Association of Physicians in 1963, the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 1963, the Association of American Physicians in 1964, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association in 1965. He served as President of the latter in 1977. Dr. Blount was a founding member and past president of the Association of University Cardiologists. He served as governor for Colorado and chairman of the board of governors for the American College of Cardiology. His is past president of the Colorado Society of Cardiovascular medicine. In 1972 he served on the President's Advisory Panel for heart disease. Dr. Blount was married to his beloved wife, Jean, for fifty-four years until her death in 1998. His is the father of five girls; Randa, Ann, Donna, Sarah and Lauren; grandfather of 10; great-grandfather of 8.