Chair Emeritus of Medicine, Chief of Cardiology

James Scheuer, M.D., distinguished professor emeritus of medicine (cardiology) and university chair emeritus of medicine at Einstein, died Feb. 17, 2021, at age 89, following a brief illness.

Since arriving in the Bronx in 1972 and even after retiring in 2011, Dr. Scheuer served Einstein and Montefiore in numerous roles, including vice chair, interim chair, and the Ted and Florence Baumritter Professor and Chair in Medicine; physician-in-chief; chief of cardiology; director of medical service and of the medical house staff program; professor of physiology; and principal investigator.

“Dr. Scheuer was one of the giants of cardiology and a consummate physician, serving as a role model to generations of physicians,” says Yaron Tomer, M.D., chair of medicine at Einstein and Montefiore, and a professor of medicine and of microbiology & immunology and the Anita and Jack Saltz Chair in Diabetes Research at Einstein. “He left an incredible legacy.”

Adds Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D., Einstein’s Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean, “Although I didn’t have the good fortune to train under him directly, Dr. Scheuer was renowned in American cardiology. His colleagues, trainees, and many other physicians would flock to his presentations at national meetings.” Dr. Tomaselli is also a professor of medicine (cardiology) at Einstein and executive vice president and chief of academic affairs at Montefiore.

In addition to being a highly respected clinician and mentor, Dr. Scheuer was a noted scientist who studied basic aspects of heart muscle function. “He was continuously funded by the NIH [National Institutes of Health] for 40 years, which is unheard of in cardiology,” says Mark Menegus, M.D., Einstein professor of medicine (cardiology) and director of the cardiac catheterization lab at Montefiore. “He ran his lab and trained lots of cardiac researchers, many of whom are leaders in the field today.”

He and his wife established the Ruth and James Scheuer, MD, Endowment in Cardiology to support special training in research for future cardiologists at Montefiore; the division of cardiology on Montefiore’s Moses Campus bears his name. The couple also created the James and Ruth Scheuer Fund at Einstein, which provides an annual award for a graduating M.D. or Ph.D. student whose disciplinary focus will be internal medicine.

A native New Yorker, he earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Rochester and his medical degree at Yale School of Medicine. He completed his medical internship at Bellevue Hospital in New York and residency at Mount Sinai.

Dr. Scheuer is survived by his wife, Ruth Lucas Scheuer; their children, Kim Scheuer, M.D. (Derek Olsen), Jeff Scheuer, and Greg Scheuer; his grandson, James; his brother Robert; and many nieces and nephews. His brother Thomas predeceased him.