Personal History
Dr Colombo was born in Busto Arsizio, Italy on June 17, 1950.7 After completing his schooling in Gallarate, he went on to the University of Milan School of Medicine in 1968, before attending the University of Parma Postgraduate School to study Cardiovascular Medicine. From a young age, he was a gifted student; and ultimately graduated Summa Cum Laude from his medical school.7
In 1967, Dr Colombo’s love of travel took him all the way to Iran in his Volkswagen (which he affectionately named “Maggiolino”).5 In 1986, he opened a private centre based on his innovative ideas after feeling ostracised by the academic environment.5 At the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session in 2012, Dr Colombo was dubbed a “Legend in Cardiovascular Disease.”2
He and his wife have two children.7
Dr Colombo is famous for his relentless work ethic, usually working 12 to 14 hour days, six days a week. He claims he is continuously reflecting on how to improve the quality of his work and philosophising about life. He has been quoted as saying, “Your best friend is the patient. Colleagues, administrators may praise you as long as you are successful, but they will be ready to put you down the first time you have a problem. When patients understand you do your best for them, they stick with you and support you forever.”5
Academic History1
Dr Colombo earned his MD from the University of Milan School of Medicine in 1975 and studied Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Parma Postgraduate School. He completed his residency in Cardiology at The De Gasperis Cardio Center in Milan.
He did his Internship and Chief Residency in Internal Medicine in 1978 and 1980 respectively at the Cabrini Medical Center, New York. In 1982, he was made a Fellow in Cardiology at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Long Beach, University of California, Irvine. He was also made Fellow in Invasive Cardiology at the Rev. Monsignor Joseph. B. Toomey Cardiovascular Laboratory and Research Department at St. Joseph's Hospital in 1984.
Career Overview
Dr Colombo is a Full Professor of Cardiology and Senior Consultant at Humanitas University in Milan.1 He is also the Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at EMO GVM - Centro Cuore Columbus in Milan and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University in New York.1 As an Attending Cardiologist at Stamford Hospital, Dr Colombo works closely with interventional cardiologists to provide patients with innovative procedures for structural heart conditions including TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) and MitraClip®.2 In 1994, he was one of the first to use IVUS for stent deployment and to understand the importance of good stent expansion to avoid stent thrombosis.5
Dr Colombo now has 30 years of Interventional Cardiology experience alongside his research and teaching.4 He is on the editorial board of several major Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology Journals and has written over 500 papers in peer-reviewed journals.3 He has also contributed chapters to top Interventional Cardiology reference books and has written several books on the topic of coronary intervention.
His Medical Licences include the Italian Licence in Medicine and Surgery (obtained in 1976), the New York State License (obtained in 1981) and the California State License (obtained in 1982). His Board Certifications include the Italian Board in Cardiology (1978), the American Board of Internal Medicine (1982), the American Board of Cardiovascular Diseases (1985) and the American Board of Interventional Cardiology (1999).
Dr Colombo is an active member of multiple medical societies, including the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Medical Association. Currently, he is working as principal investigator on a national and international level, conducting multi-centred clinical trials and spontaneous single-centred clinical trials in Interventional Cardiology.8
Career Timeline7
- 1975 - 1978: Residency in Cardiology, The De Gasperis Cardio Center (Director Prof. F. Rovelli), Milan, Italy
- 1978 - 1979: Internship in Internal Medicine at Cabrini Medical Center of New York City
- 1979 - 1980: Residency in Internal Medicine at Cabrini Medical Center of New York City
- 1980 - 1982: Chief Residency in Internal Medicine at Cabrini Medical Center of New York City
- 1981 - 1982: Instructor in Medicine, New York Medical College
- 1982 - 1984: Fellow in Cardiology, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Long Beach, University of California Irvine, CA
- 1982 - 1988: Assistant Professor of Medicine University of California, Irvine
- 1984 - 1985: Fellow in Invasive Cardiology, Monsignor Joseph. B. Toomey Cardiovascular Laboratory and Research Department at St. Joseph's Hospital (Director Dr G. Gensini), State University of New York
- 1995: Visiting Professor Cleveland Clinic Foundation
- 1996 - 2004: Professor of Clinical Medicine New York University, New York
- 1999 - 2018: Head of Hemodynamics, San Raffaele Hospital
- 2003: Visiting Professor, University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia
- 2014 - 2018: Member of the “Consiglio Superiore della Sanità’ (The Italian Superior Health Council)
- 2015 - 2018: Professor of Cardiology, Università Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy
- 1986 - Present: Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, EMO GVM Centro Cuore Columbus, Milan
- 2004 - Present: Visiting Assistant Professor of Medicine, Columbia University Hospital, New York
- 2013 - Present: Attending Cardiologist, Stamford Medical Hospital, Stamford, Connecticut
- 2015 - Present: Attending Cardiologist, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY
- 2021 - Present: Senior Consultant, Humanitas Research Hospital
Recognition1 5
- 1981: Best Teaching Resident, Cabrini Medical Center, New York
- 1994: Best Clinical Researcher, Thoraxcenter Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- 1998: Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) Career Achievement Award
- 2005: Elite Reviewer, Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC)
- 2010: Andreas Grüntzig Ethica Award, EuroPCR
- 2012: Elite Reviewer, Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC)
- 2012: Legends of Cardiovascular (CV) Medicine Lecture Series, American College of Cardiology
- 2014: Master of the Masters, TCTAP Award
- 2014: Chien Foundation Award for Outstanding Lectureship & Lifetime Achievement in PCI, CIT in partnership with TCT
- Noteworthy Cardiologist by Marquis Who's Who
Areas of Speciality4
- Interventional Cardiology
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Valvular Heart Disease
- Cross-Modality and Multi-Modality Imaging Topics
Sources
Dr Antonio Columbo is an editorial board member of Interventional Cardiology: Reviews, Research, Resources (ICR3).
