IN REMEMBRANCE : Zahi Hamdi Masri , MD July 9 , 1935 – January 3 , 2023
I
met Dr . Masri at an Arab social function in Louisville in 1984 and he introduced himself to me . He welcomed me warmly to the cardiology community of Louisville and I found out that he was one of the senior cardiothoracic surgeons who belonged to a pioneering group with the late Dr . Alan Lansing at the helm . I found Dr . Masri to be a gregarious , humorous and friendly individual and over the next 20-plus years , we took care of our mutual patients , primarily at Jewish Hospital . He was a well-respected cardiothoracic surgeon in the community . He passed away peacefully on Jan . 3 , 2023 .
He was a Palestinian-American born in Ramallah in 1935 and raised in Nablus . He studied medicine at the Kasr El Aini , Cairo , Egypt with full academic scholarship and obtained his medical degree there . He moved to Louisville and trained in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Louisville in the 1960s . He served in
a leading and pivotal role in his group that pioneered a cardiac surgery program in the area .
His dedication to his patients with heart disease was legendary and he was highly regarded as a compassionate physician spending a lot of time with patients and their families allaying their anxieties and answering questions . He pursued several charitable and educational endeavors working with Physicians for Peace and was instrumental in establishing the American Palestine Public Affairs Forum that was dedicated to raising awareness and understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a peaceful manner .
In his retirement years after approximately 50 years of dedicated work , he enjoyed reading , writing and playing cards at his favorite Heine Brothers ’ Coffee Shop . He is survived by his wife , Susan , six accomplished children and eight grandchildren .
-M. Saleem Seyal , MD , FACC . FACP
DR . MASRI WAS A GLMS MEMBER FOR 50 YEARS .
26 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE