Dr Hermes Apostolou Kontos

Dr. Hermes Apostolou Kontos, MD, PhD, age 87, of Midlothian, Virginia, died December 5, 2021, at Sheltering Arms Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Kontos was the former Dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine and founding CEO of the VCU Health System Authority.

Dr. Kontos was born in Lefka, Cyprus, on December 13, 1933. The son of Apostolos Constandi Kontos and Danai Isaia, he was heavily influenced by his uncle and physician role model, Diomides Isaias, who was a general practitioner. After graduating from the Pankyprion Gymnasium in Nicosia, Cyprus, he attended medical school at the University of Athens Greece, where he received his M.D. degree in 1958. After a year as a Resident in the Nicosia General Hospital, Dr. Kontos came to the United States in 1959 on a World Health Organization Fellowship for his Rotating Internship at Maryland General Hospital, recognizing that the US “was the only place where one could get high quality training.” There, he met Nancy Jeanne Greene, a nursing student who would become his wife of 61 years when they were married on December 29, 1959.

Dr. and Mrs. Kontos moved to Richmond, Virginia, in 1960, where he completed his Residency in Internal Medicine and a Cardiopulmonary Fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV). Although his original intent was simply to practice traditional medicine, he was diverted into academia, and he joined the faculty at MCV as an Instructor in Internal Medicine in 1964. While on the faculty at MCV, Dr. Kontos earned his Ph.D. in Physiology in 1967. He rose rapidly through the academic ranks at MCV, which later became part of VCU, and he was promoted to Professor of Medicine in 1972.

Dr. Kontos had an exceptional career as a physician, scientist, educator, and administrator. He was internationally recognized for his research to understand mechanisms regulating brain blood vessels in high blood pressure, stroke, and head injury. Over his more than 40-year career, he authored over 200 scientific papers and book chapters. His decades of support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) included prestigious Jacob Javits Neuroscience Investigator Awards in 1986 and again in 1993 and a MERIT Award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in 1986. He was an active reviewer for the NIH, serving on the Experimental Cardiovascular Sciences study section for 8 years and chairing that review group from 1984-86. Dr. Kontos was a Fellow of the American Heart Association (AHA), and his many roles with the AHA included service as President of the Virginia AHA Affiliate and Associate Editor for the journal Stroke. He received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Stroke Council of the AHA in 1996. Among his many other scientific and academic honors and awards, he was named a Markle Scholar in Academic Medicine in 1969; he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American Association of Physicians, and the Association of University Cardiologists; and he was a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Kontos received the Distinguished Scholar Award from VCU in 1984 and the Presidential Medallion in 2003.

As a physician, Dr. Kontos was renowned for his knowledge and treatment of diseases of the microvasculature, and he authored seminal book chapters and scientific papers on the subject. He was also recognized as an outstanding teacher and mentor. He was awarded the outstanding teacher award from the School of Medicine; the student lounge in Hunton Hall was named for him; and one of his former students, Dr. Marc Thames, established the Thames-Kontos Mentoring Award in his honor in 2019.

Among Dr. Kontos’ many contributions to academic medicine, he is best remembered for his quiet and thoughtful leadership. Starting as Chair of the Cardiopulmonary Division in 1978, Dr. Kontos subsequently served as Chair of the Cardiology Division and acting Chair of Medicine. As an indication of his versatility and exceptional leadership, he was the acting Chair of the Department of Pathology from 1991-1993. He then went on to serve as interim Dean of the School of Medicine in 1993 and then was appointed Dean of the VCU School of Medicine in 1994. While still serving as Dean, he was also appointed Vice President for Health Sciences in 1995. Dr. Kontos played an integral role in strategically aligning the academic and clinical vision of the academic health system at VCU with the creation of VCU Health. In 2000, he was appointed the first CEO of the VCU Health System (VCUHS) Authority, which combined MCV Hospitals and MCV Physicians under a single governance structure, ensuring that the academic mission of VCU’s health sciences schools would be aligned with the clinical mission of the health system. He stepped down from these positions and retired from VCU in 2003. The Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building at 1217 E. Marshall St was dedicated in his name in honor of his many contributions to VCU Health.

In retirement, Dr. Kontos enjoyed growing roses (although often defeated by local deer), wine, and gourmet food that he cooked for family and friends. Among his great pleasures in later life was spending time with his wife, friends, and family at his home on the Northern Neck. He also became an invaluable contributor to the Powhatan Free Clinic, seeing patients and mentoring and teaching his colleagues there.

Dr. Kontos was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Nancy. He is survived by his brother, Alkis A. Kontos (Geneva, Switzerland); his three sons, Dr. Michael C. Kontos (Elizabeth Huber) of Glen Allen, VA; Dr. Christopher D. Kontos (Demetra) of Durham, NC; and Timothy A. Kontos (Laura) of Midlothian, VA; six grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews in the US and Cyprus.

A celebration of Dr. Kontos’ life will be held January 8, 2022, at 1 PM at the Woody Funeral Home, 1020 Huguenot Rd, Midlothian, VA 23113.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Pauley Heart Center of VCU Health and the MCV Foundation of VCU.