Notable Alums
Specialty: Cardiology
Graduation Year: 1965
Melvyn Rubenfire
Cardiologist Melvyn Rubenfire, M.D. ’65, has helped train an estimated 1,500 Internal Medicine residents and 250 Cardiology fellows in his more than 50-year career in medicine. He is medical director of the Domino Farms Cardiovascular Medicine Ambulatory Care Unit at the University of Michigan.
After graduation, Dr. Rubenfire remained in Detroit to complete an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at then-Sinai Hospital. He completed a National Institutes of Health fellowship in Cardiology at Henry Ford Hospital in 1970. He joined the staff of Sinai Hospital that same year as chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, and was chair of its Department of Internal Medicine from 1984 to 1991 and director of the Center for Cardiovascular Research and Lipid Clinic from 1985 to 1991.
“In medical school, the faculty in Internal Medicine and Cardiology were outstanding bedside clinicians and academic teacher role models. The full-time faculty were supplemented by equally capable volunteers from the community. They helped shape my career as a clinician, investigator and educator,” Dr. Rubenfire said.
He was a member of the WSU faculty until 1991, leaving as a professor to join the University of Michigan Health System as a professor of Internal Medicine, where he serves as director of the Preventive Cardiology and director of the Lipid Clinic. He also founded and directed the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic from 1995 to 2003.
His clinical and research interests are in management of coronary risk and coronary disease, cardiac rehab, lipids, psychological distress and pulmonary hypertension. He has published more than 240 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, 35 book chapters, and authored/edited two books and 150 abstracts as presentations and posters. He has been a reviewer for 22 peer review journals and a member of the editorial board or editor of eight journals.
He has held consulting positions with the United States Department of Energy regarding artificial heart research and development, Michigan Department of Public Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Park Davis, BMSquibb and Pfizer.
“I am most grateful to my patients and to the hundreds of colleagues with whom I have been able to enjoy the practice of medicine, while teaching and contributing to the body of knowledge in my many areas of interest,” he said.
He is a fellow of American College of Physicians, American College of Cardiology, American College of Chest Physicians, American Heart Association and the National Lipid Association (founding group).
The University of Michigan created the Melvyn Rubenfire MD Professor of Preventive Cardiology in his honor. He has received the Laureate Award from the American College of
Physicians’ American Society of Internal Medicine-Michigan Chapter, and was named Faculty Teacher of the Year by the Cardiovascular Medicine fellows at U-M. He is a member of the U-M Department of Internal Medicine Clinical Excellence Society and is a Golden Heart member of the American Heart Association.
After graduation, Dr. Rubenfire remained in Detroit to complete an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at then-Sinai Hospital. He completed a National Institutes of Health fellowship in Cardiology at Henry Ford Hospital in 1970. He joined the staff of Sinai Hospital that same year as chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, and was chair of its Department of Internal Medicine from 1984 to 1991 and director of the Center for Cardiovascular Research and Lipid Clinic from 1985 to 1991.
“In medical school, the faculty in Internal Medicine and Cardiology were outstanding bedside clinicians and academic teacher role models. The full-time faculty were supplemented by equally capable volunteers from the community. They helped shape my career as a clinician, investigator and educator,” Dr. Rubenfire said.
He was a member of the WSU faculty until 1991, leaving as a professor to join the University of Michigan Health System as a professor of Internal Medicine, where he serves as director of the Preventive Cardiology and director of the Lipid Clinic. He also founded and directed the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic from 1995 to 2003.
His clinical and research interests are in management of coronary risk and coronary disease, cardiac rehab, lipids, psychological distress and pulmonary hypertension. He has published more than 240 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, 35 book chapters, and authored/edited two books and 150 abstracts as presentations and posters. He has been a reviewer for 22 peer review journals and a member of the editorial board or editor of eight journals.
He has held consulting positions with the United States Department of Energy regarding artificial heart research and development, Michigan Department of Public Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Park Davis, BMSquibb and Pfizer.
“I am most grateful to my patients and to the hundreds of colleagues with whom I have been able to enjoy the practice of medicine, while teaching and contributing to the body of knowledge in my many areas of interest,” he said.
He is a fellow of American College of Physicians, American College of Cardiology, American College of Chest Physicians, American Heart Association and the National Lipid Association (founding group).
The University of Michigan created the Melvyn Rubenfire MD Professor of Preventive Cardiology in his honor. He has received the Laureate Award from the American College of
Physicians’ American Society of Internal Medicine-Michigan Chapter, and was named Faculty Teacher of the Year by the Cardiovascular Medicine fellows at U-M. He is a member of the U-M Department of Internal Medicine Clinical Excellence Society and is a Golden Heart member of the American Heart Association.