In Memoriam: Interventional Radiology Pioneer Mark H. Wholey, MD

Mark H. Wholey, MD, FSIR, a founding member of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) and the society’s president from 1982 to 1983, died on February 25 at the age of 97. He is survived by his wife, Roseanne, and five children. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on March 4 at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

SIR’s memorial tribute to Dr. Wholey noted, “As a founder of SIR, he played an active role throughout the 1970s and 1980s, helping to establish and organize the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting and engage with other specialties. His work and contributions to interventional radiology and SIR were recognized with SIR’s highest honor, the Gold Medal, in 2008.” The SIR remembrance can be read online here.

The family’s obituary stated, “Mark was a pioneer and inventor in the field of interventional radiology who was recognized internationally for his contributions to the endovascular field through his inventions and his continuing foresight, vision, and leadership.” The full obituary is available here.

In correspondence with Endovascular Today, Roseanne commented, “For the past 38 years, Mark and I were a team and I was his biggest cheerleader. Because I was in the business, I discussed cases, developments, and devices with him every day. When asked about his legacy, he said, ‘Past accomplishments are history—it’s new developments that matter!’”

Barry T. Katzen, MD, FSIR, shared with Endovascular Today, “Mark was a passionate innovator and independent thinker. His willingness to challenge the status quo and occasionally be disruptive in practice and invention was always directed at improving patient care. As a more senior interventionalist, he supported my own drive for developing our clinical field of interventional radiology. He and Roseanne made an incredible team for so many years. I will surely miss his presence and influence.” Dr. Katzen is Chief Medical Innovation Officer at Baptist Health South Florida and Founder and Chief Medical Executive Emeritus at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute in Miami, Florida. Dr. Katzen is a Founding Medical Editor of Endovascular Today.

Dr. Wholey was among the earliest advisors to Endovascular Today, generous with his time as an author, reviewer, and shaper of content. He shared his brilliant understanding of vascular disease, emerging technologies, and refined techniques with kindness and patience.

A pioneer in multidisciplinary collaboration and device development, Dr. Wholey derived wisdom from his experiences as an innovator in the formative stages of the endovascular era while maintaining a busy clinical practice. Roseanne has also authored and provided her guidance regarding coding and reimbursement, and his son Dr. Michael Wholey has been a long-time Editorial Advisory Board member to the publication.

The Endovascular Today team is forever grateful for our time with Dr. Wholey, and we send our deepest condolences to his family and friends.