Defining myocardial infarction for future care

Joseph Alpert speaks to Adam Born, Assistant Commissioning Editor: Joseph Stephen Alpert is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Coronary Care Unit at University of Arizona Medical Center-University Campus (AZ, USA). A native of CT, USA, Alpert obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree (magna cum laude) from Yale University (CT, USA). He obtained his medical doctorate (cum laude) from Harvard Medical School (MA, USA). Alpert did his internal medicine residency and cardiology training at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (MA, USA) and was a Research Fellow of the Massachusetts Heart Association (MA, USA) and the National Institutes of Health (MD, USA). Following his fellowship, Alpert became a staff cardiologist and Director of the Coronary Care Unit at the Naval Regional Medical Center in San Diego (CA, USA) and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (CA, USA). Following his military service, he returned to Harvard Medical School and was appointed as Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of the Samuel A Levine Cardiac Unit, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (MA, USA). In 1978, Alpert joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts (MA, USA) as Professor and Chief of the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine. In 1992, he was appointed the Robert S and Irene P Flinn Professor of Medicine and Chair, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, a position that he held until 2006.