A Medical Device Daily

Howard Stern, co-founder of E-Z-EM (Lake Success, New York) and its AngioDynamics (Queensbury, New York) division, has passed away as the result of brain cancer. He was 74.

Stern co-founded E-Z-EM in 1962 to develop and market the first unit-dose product to eliminate cross-contamination during the administration of barium sulfate contrast media, the first of many innovations he would contribute to radiology in more than 40 years of leadership with E-Z-EM.

He served as CEO of E-Z-EM from its founding until 1990; as president and CEO from 1990 to 1994; and again from 1997 to 2000. He served as company chairman until 2004 and then was named chairman emeritus.

He served as chairman of AngioDynamics, a developer of devices used in the minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment of peripheral vascular disease, from its founding in 1988 until 2004, when it was spun off to E-Z-EM shareholders. He also was instrumental in the founding and development of Surgical Dynamics, which was sold to U.S. Surgical (Norwalk, Connecticut) in 1996.

In 2001, Stern was honored by the Society of Gastrointestinal Radiologists for his “generous support and dedication to the educational mission of the Society.“ He was active in many charitable causes, particularly at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he endowed a fellowship chair at the School of Chemical Engineering Practice, and supported the Center for Cancer Research.

Anthony Lombardo, president and CEO of E-Z-EM, said that Stern “dedicated his life to developing and producing medical products that improved healthcare treatment for patients. His desire to improve the methods for the screening and diagnosis of colon cancer was relentless, and his passion to encourage everyone to be screened was never ending. . .We celebrate his life and are committed to continuing his legacy.“

Eamonn Hobbs, president and CEO of AngioDynamics, said: “We have lost a remarkable man. Howard's insight into the possibilities for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease has made a difference in the lives of patients, and in the physicians who treat them. . . We will miss Howard dearly and extend our deepest sympathies to his family.“