Efraín Gaxiola López, President of Mexican Society of Cardiology and CADECI Founder, Dies at 62

Efraín Gaxiola López, MD (Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Mexico), an interventional cardiologist known for establishing and directing the annual CADECI meeting, died suddenly earlier this week. He was 62.

Gaxiola López founded CADECI as a way to bring together interventionalists throughout Latin America to share science, live cases, and networking opportunities. The meeting, celebrating its 18th iteration this February, has grown to include faculty and attendees from across the globe. In addition, at the time of his death Gaxiola López served as the president of the Mexican Society of Cardiology.

“He was a very visionary person, and he organized one of the most important academic medical cardiology meetings,” Alexandra Arias Mendoza, MD (National Institute of Cardiology, Mexico City, Mexico), current vice president of the Mexican Society of Cardiology, told TCTMD. She recognized him for his mentorship of up-and-coming cardiologists, his drive for “excellence,” and his loyalty to friends and family, especially his two children.

Jorge Carrillo Calvillo, MD (Central Hospital Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto, San Luis Potosi, Mexico), treasurer of the Mexican Society of Cardiology, said he will remember Gaxiola López “first and foremost, a friend—someone you could always count on—a source of infectious laughter, and a true pillar of support.”

He “spearheaded projects that profoundly enhanced the standing of Mexican cardiology throughout the hemisphere,” Carrillo Calvillo told TCTMD in an email. “Having known Gax since our days as cardiology residents, and later as fellows in interventional cardiology, I can personally attest to his profound commitment to his patients. Dr. Gaxiola offered them not only the highest standard of medical care, but also a hand to hold, words of peace and comfort, and a reassuring smile—a smile that conveyed confidence and let his patients know that everything would be alright.”

Matthew J. Price MD (Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, CA), who first met Gaxiola López over a decade ago through CADECI, called him “a leading force behind quality and advancing care and interventional cardiology in Mexico.” Price will remember “his graciousness [and] his respect for others, not only patients, but for his colleagues as well. His kindness was really overwhelming,” he told TCTMD.

“Efraín was family to us,” Juan Granada, MD (Cardiovascular Research Foundation, New York, NY), told TCTMD. “The field lost a deeply human soul who practiced medicine with purpose, compassion, and imagination. He loved our field not for its technology or prestige, but for its power to relieve suffering and restore dignity to patients. Poetic and philosophical by nature, he was always a step ahead of his time, gravitating on his own orbit. He was always quietly pushing us to think differently about life and our field. We will profoundly miss his friendship, wisdom, and the humanity he brought to everything he touched.”

Duane Pinto, MD (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and JenaValve Technology, Boston, MA), highlighted the “significant loss for our field and, in particular, for our colleagues in Mexico.”

Gaxiola López “personified a tireless commitment to excellence and education,” said Pinto. “He brought colleagues from around the world and made them his family. He will be so missed, but we all who have been influenced by his efforts will continue to carry the torch in his memory.”

Jose Ramon Gonzalez Juanatey, MD (University Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain), told TCTMD that Gaxiola López's legacy is "a better Mexican healthcare system."

Gaxiola López studied medicine at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and trained in cardiology and interventional cardiology at the Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez (Mexico City, Mexico). Most recently, he was the director of Centro Especializado en Terapia Endovascular (CETEN).