WASHINGTON - A devoted physician and master in the field of interventional cardiology, Charles E. Chambers, MD, MSCAI has passed away at the age of 64.

Dr. Chambers was the 38th president of SCAI, from 2014-2015, and practiced medicine at the Hershey Medical Center of the Penn State University College of Medicine where he served as the Director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories since 1994 and Professor of Medicine and Radiology since 2002. He will be greatly missed by the members of SCAI, in particular, the governing members who benefited from his wisdom, guidance, mentorship, and good nature.

“Charles Chambers, MD was a passionate contributor to SCAI,” said Francesca Dea, SCAI’s chief executive officer. “I feel fortunate to have gotten to know Charlie on a personal level. He was a well-respected physician, and his personal commitment to cath lab quality and safety was a great service to our members and their patients with cardiovascular disease.”

Dr. Chambers’ contributions to SCAI were remarkable and significant. Inducted into the Society in 1992, over the course of more than 25 years, he served with distinction on the Board of Trustees and numerous committees including the nominating committee, ethics committee, and political action committee. He also served as the SCAI representative to the National Quality Forum. Dr. Chambers served as chair of the SCAI Cath Lab Survey Committee, the precursor to the SCAI Quality Improvement Committee, and chair of SCAI’s Public Relations and Laboratory Performance Standards committees. During his presidency, Dr. Chambers furthered SCAI’s quality mission through founding the SCAI Cath Lab Leadership Boot Camp, which debuted in 2014. The Boot Camp is aimed at standardizing and strengthening the training provided to those in cath lab leadership positions.

Dr. Chambers’ commitment to the hazards and risks of interventional cardiology is well-documented in many publications, and he served on the editorial board of the Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions journal authoring or co-authoring multiple position papers for the Society in the area of quality improvement, infection control, and radiation safety. In addition, Dr. Chambers served on the writing committee for numerous health care policy statements and expert consensus documents. SCAI President Ehtisham Mahmud, MD, FSCAI, remembers, “Charlie spent his entire career caring for and serving others and made enormous contributions to the field of interventional cardiology. His vision, guidance, and commitment to SCAI and our specialty are greatly appreciated and cannot be overstated. He guided our Society through turbulent waters, and he will be missed tremendously.”

Dr. Chambers earned his medical degree from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, MD. He completed his residency in internal medicine at SUNY in Buffalo, NY, and his fellowship in cardiovascular disease from the University of Vermont.

In 2006, Dr. Chambers received the F. Mason Sones, Jr. Award from SCAI recognizing his dedication to education and quality of care. In 2015, Dr. Chambers was named a Master of SCAI (MSCAI) for his commitment to excellence throughout his career and his commitment to the highest levels of clinical care, innovation, publication, and teaching. Dr. Chambers embodied the ideals and values that SCAI hopes to instill in each of its members, and with great sadness, we say good-bye to a person and physician of the highest caliber.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 13, 2019, from 5:30–8:00 p.m. at Hoover's Funeral Home, 6011 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17112. A funeral mass will be held on Friday, June 14, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Church, 6150 Allentown Boulevard, Harrisburg, PA 17112, followed by a procession to Resurrection Cemetery, 116 South Oak Grove Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17112. More information here.