International College of Angiology

Member, Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS)

EXECUTIVE OFFICE: 161 MORIN DRIVE,  JAY, VERMONT 05859-9283 U.S.A.
TELEPHONE: +802.988.4065   FAX: +802.988.4066
ICA EMAIL: denisemrossignol@cs.com  or ica@intlcollegeofangiology.org

Prof. John B. Chang, MD, FACS, FICA

June 3, 1936 - December 1, 2015

The International College of Angiology joins the Austrian Heart Foundation joins the Austrian Heart Foundation in sadly announcing its Founder, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Fritz Kaindl, died on September 13, 2015 at the age of 94. Prof. Kaindl was one of the Founding Fathers of the International College of Angiology and Honorary President of the Austrian Heart Foundation. Prof. Kaindl had been appointed an Honorary Fellow in 1995, the highest distinguished honor bestowed upon an individual by the ICA.


In 1964 Univ.-Prof. Dr. Fritz Kaindl was appointed Professor of Cardiology and Angiology of the Medical Faculty of the University of Vienna.  In 1968 he founded the first Department of Cardiology in Austria and was the pioneer of cardiology in this country.   He set milestones in the development of cardiology in Austria.

 He founded the Austrian Heart Foundation in 1971 and initiated many health campaigns on cardiovascular diseases.  Prof. Dr. Kaindl was the honorary president of the Austrian Heart Foundation.  Prof. Dr. Kaindl was a great cardiologist, pioneer, teacher, mentor, leader and tireless fighter for the discipline of cardiology.

Otmar Pachinger, M.D.
President of the Austrian Heart Foundation

Member, Board of Directors, International College of Angiology 

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Fritz Kaindl, MD, FICA

April 19, 1922 - September 13, 2015

In Memorium

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Professor John B. Chang, Chairman, Board of Directors, International College of Angiology.  Professor Chang passed away December 1, 2015.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Chang family to whom the entire ICA Board of Directors, Officers and Editors would like to extend their condolences.  In this painful occasion we would like to share with you a well deserved tribute presented to Prof. Chang by his great friend and colleague Dr. Ernesto Molmenti, MD, Chief of Transplant Surgery at the North Shore-LIJ Health System and Member, Board of Directors and President-Elect of the International College of Angiology.


“John B. Chang, MD, FACS, FICA is a board certified vascular surgeon with many years of experience. His academic appointments include Professor, Clinical Surgery, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Uniondale, NY, and Adjunct Professor, Clinical Surgery, Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Bronx, NY. He is a member of the MD Appointment Committee, Department of Surgery, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Uniondale, NY. He is currently Director of the Long Island Vascular Center, Roslyn, NY, and senior attending surgeon, North Shore-LIJ Healthcare System, New Hyde Park, NY. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International College of Angiology, Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Angiology, and Founding Chairman of the Asian Society for Vascular Surgery. His weekly vascular teaching rounds and conferences for medical students, interns, residents, and fellows serve as blueprints for the development of future surgical leaders. Dr. Chang's passion to further the career of future achievers led to the establishment of the “Young Investigator's Competition Award” and the “Professor John B. Chang Research Achievement Award” programs of the International College of Angiology and Asian Society for Vascular Surgery. Dr. Chang is the Program Chairman for scientific teaching conferences and the Annual World Congress of the International College of Angiology, and Program Chairman for quarterly, multidisciplinary conferences of the International College of Angiology's Workshop. Dr. Chang's extramural professional responsibilities include appointments to the editorial board of The Journal of Neurological and Orthopaedic Medicine and Surgery, and Asian Journal of Surgery. He is editorial advisor and guest writer for Vascular Diseases, reviewer for the Journal of Vascular Surgery, and International Advisor for the Congress of Vascular Society of India. He is also a member of the editorial board of Aorta. As if these achievements were not enough, he is also an Honorary Police Surgeon for the City of New York, NY. Dr. Chang holds fellowships and memberships in 23 national and international professional societies and organizations. He has received over 53 professional honors, awards, recognitions, and citations for his work in vascular surgery. The International College of Angiology has established the Prof. John B. Chang Oration Lecture in his honor. Dr. Chang has also been distinguished for his teaching at the Department of Surgery of Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. He has given more than 166 invited presentations at national and international scientific forums. He has authored numerous books, and published more than 137 articles and book chapters on the medical and vascular surgical management of patients with special emphasis on research, and in particular, long-term outcome of carotid endarterectomy with vein patch, aortic aneurysms, and lower extremity revascularization.  On February 8, 2014, Dr. John B. Chang received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the LIJ Medical Center Staff Society recognizing him for his exceptional qualities as a physician, educator, leader, compassionate humanitarian, and friend. This highly prestigious honor recognizes Dr. Chang's eternal devotion and dedication to his students, residents, and peers.”

He will be truly missed by his wife Lucy (a physician trained in anesthesiology) two sons, Victor (Director of Counseling in Southern Oregon University and Co-Director of Southern Oregon University Health Center) and Robert (also a highly talented Ivy-league trained vascular surgeon) and three grandchildren, as well as his friends and colleagues of the International College of Angiology.


As a scholar, outstanding educator, mentor and friend to all of us at the International College of Angiology, words cannot express our profound sympathy for the loss of our beloved Chairman.

"REST IN PEACE JOHN.  WE WILL ALWAYS MISS YOU AND NEVER FORGET ALL YOU DID FOR US.”

Otmar M. Pachinger, MD

March 29, 1944 - October 7, 2019











Jose Alemany, MD

May 5, 1935 - January 11, 2017


Dr. Jose Alemany received a medical degree from the University of Madrid in 1959 and a Dr.med. from the University of Düsseldorf in 1964. In 1966, Dr. Alemany became a Fellow of the International College of Angiology (FICA). After completing his residency in general surgery and vascular surgery in Bottrop, he was awarded a scholarship at Baylor University in Houston, Texas in 1968 under Professor DeBakey and was a Guest Assistant in the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in 1972 under Professor Effler.  Beginning in 1972, Dr. Alemany served as Chief of the Department of Vascular Surgery in Knappschafts-khs Bottrop, retired on October 1, 2001 and was a member of many professional societies including the International College of Angiology. Dr. Alemany was a prolific author with more than 120 publications. Dr. Alemany served as President of the International College of Angiology from 2001 - 2002 and a permanent member of the Board of Directors of the International College of Angiology.

Contact Us 

Executive Office: 

 International College of Angiology  

161 Morin Drive 

Jay, Vermont 05859-9283 USA 

 Tel: +802.988.4065 

Fax: +802.988.4066

Email: ica@intlcollegeofangiology.org 

   Copyright 2015 © International College of Angiology, Inc. All rights reserved.








Denton A. Cooley, MD

1920 - 2016

World-renowned heart surgeon and medical pioneer, Dr. Denton A. Cooley, passes at age 96

HOUSTON – Nov. 18, 2016 – Friends and colleagues at the Texas Heart Institute, join with his family in mourning the death of world-renowned heart surgeon and medical pioneer Dr. Denton A. Cooley. Cooley, who founded THI as a premier cardiovascular research and education institution in 1962, and served as its surgeon-in chief for more than 40 years, died today at the age of 96 after a long life.

“We’ve lost a dear friend and transformational leader, but the world has lost a medical genius and a great humanitarian,” said THI President Dr. James T. Willerson. “Dr. Cooley dedicated his life to healing hearts, and the number of lives he saved and improved over the years cannot be counted.” Cooley, a pioneering heart surgery and son of a Houston dentist, was born in 1920. He attended Houston Public Schools and graduated from San Jacinto High School. He then attended The University of Texas at Austin where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. Cooley was a member of the Southwest Conference Champion basketball teams of that era. He graduated with highest honors and Phi Beta Kappa. He attended The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for two years and transferred to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore where he graduated in 1944 with highest honors and Alpha Omega Alpha. Cooley completed his surgical residency under Dr. Alfred Blalock, serving for six years with a leave of absence between 1946 and 1948 to serve military duty in the 124th Station Hospital, Linz, Austria. As an intern under Blalock, Cooley assisted in the first “blue-baby” operation, which he referred to as possibly being “the dawn of the modern era of heart surgery.” Upon completing his residency, he joined Russell Brock at Brompton Hospital in London, England where he was senior surgical registrar. Upon completing his training, Cooley entered the full-time medical faculty of Baylor College of Medicine where he served from 1951 to 1969 when he resigned to lead the Texas Heart Institute, where he was already surgeon-in-chief. Cooley was a member or honorary member of over 50 professional societies around the world and a dozen fraternities and clubs.

Cooley’s list of accomplishments is lengthy. Among his more than 120 honors and awards are the Grand Hamdan International Award for Medical Science presented in Dubai in November 2000; the National Medal of Technology presented by President William “Bill” Clinton in 1999; the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, presented by President Ronald Reagan in 1984; the Theodore Roosevelt award given by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to a varsity athlete who has achieved national recognition in his profession; and the Rene Leriche Prize, the highest honor of the International Surgical Society for cardiovascular contributions. Cooley received the American Surgical Association Medallion of Scientific Achievement for “Distinguished Service to Surgery” in April 2010. He has been named Distinguished Alumnus for both The University of Texas and Johns Hopkins University where he served on the board of trustees. He received honorary degrees from five American and three foreign universities. He was named Honorary Fellow of five Royal Colleges of Surgery: Glasgow, Scotland, Australasia, Ireland, England and Edinburgh. Cooley received decorations from 12 foreign countries including Argentina, Ecuador, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Spain, the Netherlands and Venezuela. Cooley performed the first successful human heart transplant in the U.S. in 1968 and the first human implantation of a total artificial heart in the world in 1969. He contributed to the techniques for repair and replacement of diseased heart valves and is widely known for his pioneering surgical treatment of cardiac anomalies of infants and children. Cooley served as Texas Children’s Hospital’s first chief of cardiovascular surgery and was a major force behind the creation of Texas Children’s Heart Center, believing young people needed to be treated by surgeons specially trained in pediatric surgery. In doing so, Cooley paved the way for Texas Children’s to be the leading place in the world for pediatric cardiac surgery. Along with his team, Cooley performed over 120,000 open heart operations. Cooley believed his major professional accomplishment was the creation of the THI and developing a school of surgery. More than 800 surgeons are members of the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society.

The Denton A. Cooley Building completed in 2002 for the THI was provided largely by donations from patients, friends and colleagues. It has facilities for education, research and 12 operating rooms for cardiovascular surgery. Cooley was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Louise Thomas Cooley and their daughter Florence Talbot Cooley. Dr. Cooley and Mrs. Cooley have five daughters, 16 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. He enjoyed spending time with his family at their ranch and at their Galveston beach house. Cooley enjoyed many hobbies, but was an avid golfer.

To see Cooley speak about his life and career, visit www.dentonacooley.org.

About the Texas Heart Institute
Texas Heart Institute, founded by world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Denton A. Cooley in 1962, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastating toll of cardiovascular disease through innovative and progressive programs in research, education and improved patient care. Together with its clinical partner, CHI St. Luke’s Health – Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, it has been ranked among the top cardiovascular centers in the United States by U.S. News & World Report’s annual guide to “America’s Best Hospitals” for the past 25 years.





Edward Ross, MD

1937 - 2017

Edward Ross, MD, FACC, FICA, passed away on January 5, 2017. He was a highly regarded and beloved cardiologist. He was currently serving on the staff of Corizon Health. He previously served as Medical Director of Clarian Cardiovascular Services at Methodist Hospital and the Cardiac Cath Lab. He was in private practice for almost thirty years. As a well-respected physician in the city of Indianapolis, Dr. Ross was a civic leader and generous philanthropist and humanitarian, who quietly supported several charitable organizations in the arts and community.


Edward Ross, M.D. received his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1963. Internship followed by his residency in internal medicine at Indiana University Medical Center.  From 1968 to 1970 he underwent fellowship training in Cardiology at Indiana University's Krannert Institute. His professional society memberships include International College of Angiology (Fellow), American College of Cardiology (Fellow) and Royal Society of Health-London (Fellow).  Dr. Ross as a Member of the Board of Directors of the International College of Angiology and a member of the Editorial Board, International Journal of Angiology.

A faithful member of Broadway United Methodist Church, Dr. Ross is survived by his loving wife of 49 years Catherine Webster, four children, Ronald (Patricia), Anthony, Edward and Cheryl; grandchildren Coyon, Jasmine, Ashton and Torrance; great-grandaughter Nivea; siblings Christine Ross, Cathryn Pippen, and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his parents Horace and Carrie Ross and two siblings Fred and Willie Ross.

A celebration of life was held on Saturday, January 14, 2017, at 12:00 noon, at Broadway United Methodist Church.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a charity of your choice.