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Bristow’s clinical training took place at Stanford University, where he completed an internship in 1972, a residency in internal medicine in 1977, and a fellowship in cardiology in 1978. He also pursued postdoctoral work in molecular pharmacology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and Duke University. In 1979, he joined the cardiology faculty at Stanford, quickly establishing himself as a rising expert in cardiovascular disease.Academic and Professional MilestonesIn 1984, Bristow relocated to the University of Utah, where he co-founded the Utah Transplantation Affiliated Hospitals (U.T.A.H.) Cardiac Transplant Program in 1985—the first multi-hospital heart transplant program in the United States. This initiative fostered unprecedented collaboration among institutions and remains operational today. In 1991, he was recruited to the University of Colorado in Denver (now the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus) as Head of the Division of Cardiology, a position he held until 2004. There, he co-founded the University of Colorado Cardiovascular Institute, a joint venture between the Boulder and Medical campuses, and now directs the Section of Pharmacogenomics. As a tenured Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology, Bristow continues to lead research on heart failure, cardiac transplantation, and personalized medicine. He is licensed to practice in Colorado, Utah, and California, and maintains an active clinical presence at UC Health facilities in Aurora, Colorado.Scientific Contributions and Innovations.

Bristow is best known for spearheading the “beta-blocker revolution” in heart failure therapy during the 1980s and 1990s, demonstrating through rigorous trials that these drugs could improve survival and reverse cardiac remodeling—a paradigm shift that saved countless lives. His work extends to pharmacogenomics, exploring genetic factors influencing drug responses in heart failure patients. Recent studies under his leadership, such as a 2024 trial on ivabradine for rate reduction in dilated cardiomyopathy, highlight ongoing efforts to link heart rate modulation with molecular phenotypes like fibrosis and autophagy dysregulation. An entrepreneur at heart, Bristow has founded or co-founded three biotechnology companies based on university-licensed intellectual property:

• Myogen: Developed ambrisentan (Letairis), approved for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
• ARCA biopharma: Focuses on bucindolol (Gencaro) for pharmacogenetic prevention of atrial fibrillation in heart failure patients.
• A third unnamed venture underscores his commitment to translating research into therapies.

His prolific output includes seminal papers on topics from histone deacetylase export in failing hearts to transcriptome signatures of ventricular arrhythmias.

Awards and Honors

Bristow’s impact is reflected in numerous accolades:

• Therapeutics Frontiers Award, American College of Clinical Pharmacy (1993)
• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Clinical Trial Exceptional Service Award (2008)
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Heart Failure Society of America (2008)
• Scientist of the Year, Colorado Chapter of the ARCS Foundation (2008)
• University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award (2009)
• Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Illinois College of Medicine (2025)
• Distinguished Scientist Award (Translational Domain), American College of Cardiology (2014)

In 2025, he served as the keynote speaker at the University of Utah’s Cardiac Recovery Symposium, further cementing his influence.Personal and Professional LegacyBased in Denver, Colorado, Bristow remains deeply engaged in academia and patient care, with contact through the University of Colorado (michael.bristow@cuanschutz.edu). His career not only advanced heart failure treatments but also inspired collaborative models in transplantation and pharmacogenomics, reducing the global burden of cardiovascular disease. As of 2025, at age 79, he continues to publish and mentor, embodying a lifelong dedication to innovation in cardiology.