In Memoriam

It is with deep sadness that we, the members of the North American Society of Cardiovascular Imaging (NASCI), honor the life and legacy of Dr. U. Joseph Schoepf, who passed away on June 20, 2025.

Dr. Schoepf was a pioneer in cardiovascular imaging, a gifted physician-scientist, and a generous mentor whose influence stretched across continents. A native of Austria, he trained at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich before bringing his expertise to the United States, initially working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and then at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where he spent over two decades as Professor of Radiology, Medicine, and Pediatrics.

At MUSC, Dr. Schoepf built one of the world’s leading cardiovascular imaging programs. He drove innovation in advanced cardiac imaging, including dual-energy CT, CT myocardial perfusion, CT fractional flow reserve, and most recently, photon-counting detector CT. His research group also helped pioneer novel cardiovascular MRI techniques. With over 450 peer-reviewed publications, multiple textbooks, and hundreds of invited lectures, his work earned global recognition. Within NASCI, he served as President and was a respected Fellow of the Society. Still, Dr. Schoepf’s most enduring legacy lies in the people he inspired.

Words from those who knew him:

“I worked with Joe for 17 years. He was both a mentor and a friend. He had an extraordinary gift: discovering talent and bringing together people from across the world to form collaborative, supportive research communities. His impact wasn’t limited to Charleston, where the cardiovascular program he built became an epicenter for training hundreds of American and international medical students, residents, and fellows. His trainees now practice across the globe as leaders in radiology, cardiology, vascular and cardiothoracic surgery.

He also helped build international research networks that connected and elevated colleagues throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. Joe was tireless in his efforts to support others’ success, always generous with his time, knowledge, and connections. He created opportunities even for the most junior members of his team. His ability to make a way for others to grow in cardiovascular imaging was the trait I found most inspiring about him. This is the memory I will treasure as long as I live, and one I hope to honor by paying it forward.”

-Dr. Pal Spruill Suranyi, Fellow of NASCI, Former Mentee

“For over 11 years, I had the privilege of working alongside Joe, not just as a colleague and mentee, but also as a friend. He opened doors for countless early-career researchers, including myself. He didn’t just train fellows, he empowered them. Many of us are where we are because he believed in us before we believed in ourselves. Joe had an exceptional ability to recognize potential and create opportunities, often before anyone else saw them. His vision wasn’t just about the science. It was about the people behind it.

Joe’s mentorship didn’t stop at professional development; he took a personal interest in the lives of those he supported. He celebrated our wins, large and small, and stood by us during setbacks. His humor, energy, and fierce loyalty built a sense of community that extended far beyond the lab or reading room. For many of us, working with Joe wasn’t just a career milestone. It was a formative chapter in our lives. His impact endures in our work, our teams, and how we choose to mentor others.”

-Dr. Akos Varga-Szemes, Fellow of NASCI, Former Mentee

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Schoepf’s family, friends, and the many colleagues and trainees as well as industry partners whose lives he touched. His legacy will live on in the vibrant research communities he helped build, the careers he launched, and the field of cardiovascular imaging he helped shape.

-In tribute written by Akos Varga-Szemes, on behalf of the NASCI Executive Board.

It is with profound sorrow that we, the members of the North American Society of Cardiovascular Imaging, honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Lipton, who passed away on April 25, 2025.

Dr. Lipton was a deeply respected and cherished member of our community, whose wisdom, generosity, and enduring contributions left a lasting imprint on all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. His distinguished career was marked by academic excellence, visionary leadership, and an unwavering commitment to advancing cardiovascular imaging.

After completing his training in England, Dr. Lipton joined the faculty at Stanford University, and went on to hold several prominent leadership roles. He served as Chief of Cardiovascular Imaging in the Departments of Radiology and Medicine at UCSF, and later as Professor and Chairman of Radiology at the University of Chicago.

Within NASCI, Dr. Lipton’s impact was profound. He served as President of the Society from 1997 to 1999, and in recognition of his extraordinary contributions, was awarded the Gold Medal in 2004, the Society’s highest honor.

Below are a few words from those who knew him best:

“I miss Marty. His scholarship and professional accomplishments were unique to our field, and I felt somehow smarter and even more important when we worked together; he did that for everyone he touched. Marty had an enormous store of anecdotes, funny stories, and gossip to add to any conversation. Our profession selects for hard working and smart, but smart is cheap. Few of us have acquired Marty’s professional track record, and even fewer his charm and worldliness. Marty Lipton was more than just the unique product of an era of dramatic historical change and technological progress. He was, and will always be an icon of progressive radiological practice and scholarship, but mostly, to me, he was a mentor who came late in my career, but nevertheless made me a better person. To have known Marty was to have loved him. We will all miss him.”
-Dr Lawrence Boxt, NASCI Past President

“I was in London in 1966 beginning a one-year fellowship in cardiovascular physiology at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School and Hammersmith Hospital. My colleagues said I must meet the previous year’s fellow, also a radiologist, who would keep me in stitches with his never-ending patter of jokes and clever comments. Thus began my almost 60 year friendship with Martin Lipton. We both were interested in Cardiac Imaging, a field that was limited to plain chest radiographs at that time, but was on the verge of an explosive expansion as cinematography and computed tomography were soon to be introduced.

I returned to Stanford and soon heard from Marty that he was interested in relocating to the US. I was able to secure a position for him at the Palo Alto VA Hospital where, working with the cardiologists, he introduced coronary angiography and other angiographic techniques. It was there that he met his future wife, Jacquie, who was at that time a cardiac ultrasonographer.

After a few years, Marty was offered a position at UCSF where he was fortunate to work with Doug Boyd, an engineer who developed the Electron Beam CT device, the first scanner capable of imaging the moving heart. This led to a very productive collaboration and established Lipton as a leader in cardiac imaging. We met often over the following years. In 1988, he accepted a position as chair of the Department of Radiology at the University of Chicago, where he built a strong academic department.

Throughout his entire career he kept his sense of humor which could be disarming to those who saw him as unserious. But he was a keen observer, excellent diagnostician and a source of rollicking good times. In large part it was his leadership that convinced the American Board of Radiology to include cardiac imaging as a requirement for residency training. I will never forget the happy times he and I shared along with our wives, Jacquie and Susan.”
– Dr Lewis Wexler, NASCI Past President

We extend our deepest condolences to Dr Lipton’s family, friends, and all who mourn this great loss. Their memory will remain a guiding light within our society.

Read Dr. Lipton’s obituary from the University of Chicago.

David C. Levin, MD, FACR, passed away on January 15, 2020. Dr. Levin was Emeritus Professor and Emeritus Chairman of the Department of Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Jefferson Medical College. He made major contributions in the field of cardiovascular and interventional radiology and later made his mark with health services research in imaging including the impact of physician self-referral.

Dr. Levin worked on many ACR committees and task forces and was active in the Senior and/or Retired Section (SRS). He was a 2006 ACR Gold Medalist and 2014 Leadership Luminary Honoree. He also served as chairman of the Council on Cardiovascular Radiology of the American Heart Association and as president of the Society of Chairmen of Academic Radiology Departments. He also held a number of leadership positions in the RSNA.