Philip Poole-Wilson dies unexpectedly

Dr Philip Poole-Wilson, an expert on heart failure and coronary heart disease prevention across the globe, collapsed and died on his way to work in London on March 4, from a suspected MI, his colleagues at the Imperial College London have told heartwire. A man of many talents and admired by many, Poole-Wilson considered cardiovascular medicine his passion and said in a recent interview with Circulation: "I am unbelievably fortunate that my work is my hobby." He was a month short of his 66th birthday when he died and had retired only six months ago, although he was still working as an honorary consultant at Imperial College three days a week and continuing with many other projects. Although it is difficult to pick out career highlights, among his greatest achievements were: his pioneering work in bringing heart failure out of the closet; being one of the founders of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) as it is today; his basic research; and his involvement with the World Heart Federation (WHF). He was a past president of the WHF (2003-2005) and of the ESC (1994-1996) and the founding chair of the British Society for Heart Failure