Benjamin D. McCallister

Fondly remembered for his determination and passion, Dr. Benjamin D. (Ben) McCallister passed away at his home in Kamuela, Hawaii, on May 13, 2012.

Ben received his medical degree from Kansas University. He served as a captain in the US Army Medical Corps, based at Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. He completed his training in internal medicine and cardiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Ben remained on staff at the Mayo Clinic until 1969, at which time he moved to Kansas City, Missouri, with the vision of creating a stand-alone heart hospital equipped and staffed with all the tools required to optimize outcomes for heart patients. He was passionate about his patients, clinical research, and community service. With his drive, enthusiasm, good-natured spirit, and relentless optimism, Ben was a key pioneer in creating the cardiology practice Cardiovascular Consultants. Ben cofounded the world’s first dedicated heart facility, the Mid America Heart Institute at Saint Luke’s Hospital, which led to groundbreaking cardiovascular techniques and one of the first cardiovascular outcomes research programs in the world. He was the Missouri Endowed Chair and Director of Cardiovascular Research at the Mid America Heart Institute and a professor of medicine at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. The Ben McCallister, MD, Clinical Scholars Program was created in his honor, allowing cardiologists to have dedicated research time outside of their clinical practice.

Ben was named a Master of the American College of Cardiology in 2006. In addition to his many years in leadership roles, the college honored Ben for his contributions in the development of cardiovascular guidelines and his initiatives in measuring the quality of cardiovascular care, including the formation of the college’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry.

Ben is survived by Virginia “Ginny” Brosnahan McCallister, his wife of 55 years; his brother, Larry; 5 children; and 16 grandchildren. He is greatly missed by his colleagues and the staff at Saint Luke’s Cardiovascular Consultants and the Mid America Heart Institute.