Miguel Leal, MD, assistant professor (CHS), Cardiovascular Medicine, has been selected for the 2018 Dr. Benjamin and Marian Schuster Prize.

This prize, established in 2006, recognizes “a deserving individual who has contributed significantly to the cardiovascular program.” It is funded through an endowment established by UW-Madison medical school and residency alumnus Benjamin Schuster, MD, and his wife Marian.

Dr. Schuster was selected for one of the first cardiology fellowships sponsored by the National Heart Institute of the US Public Health Service at the University of Wisconsin. He founded and led the Kettering Medical Center's Cardiac Diagnostic and Interventional Laboratory in Kettering, Ohio, and directed the Kettering Medical Center's Cardiovascular Institute from 2000 until his death in 2012.

Dr. Leal specializes in device-based therapies for cardiac arrhythmias. He serves as the director of the UW Health Device Clinic & Lead Management Program, which has brought cutting-edge cardiovascular medical devices to patients in Wisconsin, including pacemakers that do not require implanted lead wires.

Resources:

• "A matter of timing: atrial fibrillation and arrhythmias," Department of Medicine, October 5, 2017
• "New cardiac medical devices offer options," Department of Medicine, March 8, 2017

Photo (top): Dr. Miguel Leal holds up an example of a lead-free pacemaker device during a Mini Med School public lecture about cardiac arrhythmias.