In memoriam Henry Krum, 1958-2015

The global cardiovascular community is deeply saddened by the recent passing of Prof. Henry Krum (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia) after a long illness. Henry was a highly valued colleague and friend, as well as an extraordinary teacher, mentor and supervisor. His contributions to cardiovascular research have been pioneering and game changing. He was also a well-respected physician who was loved by his patients. Henry was Director of the Centre of Cardiovascular Research and Education in Therapeutics (CCRET), and Chair of Medical Therapeutics at Monash University. He was also Head of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at The Alfred Hospital, as well as Consultant Physician and Heart Failure Specialist at the Alfred Heart Centre, Melbourne. Henry completed an MBBS at the University of Melbourne in 1981. He became Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 1989. Subsequently, he completed a PhD in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Melbourne in 1991, and undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University, New York. On return to Australia, he accepted the position of Head of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and was awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre of Clinical Research Excellence grant, with which he became the founding Director of CCRET, Monash University. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1997 and to full Professor in 2003. Under his lead, CCRET has prospered and currently employs over 70 staff in addition to visiting academics, students and trainees from across the world. In addition to his role at CCRET and at The Alfred Hospital, Henry was Consultant Senior Director in Cardiovascular Trials at the highly reputed George Institute for Global Health.Henry's contribution to cardiovascular research is attested to by his involvement with numerous major clinical trials in which he served as the Principal Investigator and Chair or Member of data safety monitoring boards and executive committees. Many of these trials have informed guidelines writing committees and health authorities, and have improved the practice of cardiovascular medicine as well as the lives of innumerable heart failure patients. He was Editor, Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member for many of the most prestigious journals in medicine and cardiology, and was an Editorial Board Member to Cardiology for over a decade. Henry published over 500 journal articles and numerous books and book chapters. In a recent personal portray article in The Lancet, Henry saw his most important contribution to cardiovascular science as his work on neurohormonal antagonists in heart failure, agents which were once contraindicated but today constitute the cornerstone of heart failure pharmacotherapy 1,2. At CCRET, his research had a wide span and was truly translational. Henry undertook substantial basic science studies, providing new mechanistic insights and producing therapeutic concepts which he subsequently evaluated in clinical trials. His recent work on aliskiren while serving as Global Principal Investigator of the ATMOSPHERE trial (recruiting over 7,000 patients), his landmark SYMPLICITY-HTN1 trial evaluating catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation in hypertension, and his preclinical studies on cardiorenal syndrome and on angiotensin-receptor neprilysin inhibitors attest to the broad spectrum of highly successful research activities with which he was involved 3,4,5,6. Henry was also keen to get the best out of existing therapies, publishing clinically vital work on the impact of comorbidities on heart failure therapies, and being a founding member of the Beta-Blockers in Heart Failure Collaborative Group 7.Among the many awards and prizes he won during his career are the NHMRC award for one of ‘Ten of the Best' research projects in 2011 and the NHMRC Achievement Award of ‘Highest Ranked Practitioner Fellow 2011'. In 2015 he was named on the Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers list, ranking him among the top 1% most cited in his subject field and providing recognition as one of the most influential scientists in the world. Henry attracted numerous major research prizes and grants during his career, with funding by the Australian NHMRC, Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, and others. Among his most recent achievements, he secured an AUD 5.6 million NHMRC Program grant in 2015 dedicated to chronic heart disease and comorbidities. Henry had a genuinely innovative mind and happily discussed his thoughts and novel, sometimes unconventional, ideas with colleagues. These discussions were fruitful and thought provoking for those in attendance. His breadth and depth of knowledge was unparalleled. He was an engaging speaker and captured the essence of scientific matters with ease, be it at lab meetings or major international meetings. It only seemed logical that Henry founded the 4 Corners of Cardiology (4CC) meeting, held annually in Melbourne, which boasts a unique, highly interactive format and became an immediate success. Henry shared a passion for great coffee and great jazz music, as well as film and arts, and was a keen follower of sports, including soccer, tennis, rugby and cricket. He also loved the latest electronic gadgets such as smartphones, and once fell and broke his arm whilst sending a text message! His great sense of humor always shone through. Henry was a real gentleman with an easy-going manner who looked after his staff well, visiting fellows and trainees. Above all, he was a humble man, and his family meant everything to him. Henry is survived by his wife Lauren, his children Joshua and Emily, as well as his sister Sharon and extended family. His death is a tremendous loss to the scientific world, and his legacy will continue to inspire colleagues, friends and the global cardiovascular community.