Weyman, Dr. Arthur E. “Ned” age 82, pioneering cardiologist instrumental in the development and adoption of echocardiography, passed away peacefully on June 17, 2024, surrounded by family.
Born September 25, 1941, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Dr. Weyman was adopted by his parents, the late Arthur and Mae (Jacobi) Weyman of Montclair, New Jersey. They owned Montclair Travel Bureau and Dr. Weyman was fortunate to spend his childhood travelling the world as his parents scouted international destinations for their customers.
Dr. Weyman was a proud alumnus of St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, NJ, graduating at the age of sixteen. He then attended the College of the Holy Cross; followed by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He then moved to New York for his residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital. His time at St. Vincent’s was interrupted for three years when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving as a Marine squadron and air group flight surgeon. After St. Vincent’s, he accepted a cardiology research fellowship at Indiana University.
It was in Indiana that Dr. Weyman discovered the two great loves of his life. First, he found his professional love, the practice of echocardiography. Dr. Weyman quickly saw the potential for using the power of ultrasound technology to image the heart and cardiovascular systems, and began his life-long work of developing new methods and research models that would be instrumental to the adoption of echocardiography as the preferred technique for non-invasive cardiac imagining—work credited with saving millions of lives. These efforts required long hours over the course of decades, but Dr. Weyman often commented that those long hours never felt like work because he was doing what he loved.
In his last two years in Indiana, he would meet the true love of his life, a nurse named Jean Martin. The two married in 1979 and in 1980, they moved to Boston where Dr. Weyman accepted a position as the Director of the Cardiac Ultrasound Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard University. He received a full professorship at Harvard in 1995 and served as the Chief of Cardiology at the MGH from 1994 to 1996. He continued to practice at the MGH until his retirement in 2022.
Dr. Weyman was recognized as a leader in his field, publishing hundreds of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, presenting hundreds of lectures, and authoring two books including a textbook that serves as a critical echocardiography resource thirty years after its publication. Among his many awards and honors, he served as President of the American Society of Echocardiology from 1991 – 1993 and was the Founder and First President of the National Board of Echocardiography. He received the Gifted Teacher Award from the American College of Cardiology, the 2004 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the UMDNJ and the Sanctae Crucis Award from Holy Cross. The American Society of Echocardiography honored his legacy of teaching and mentorship through the creation of the Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award in 2007 and also granted him the Meritorious Service Award in 2012. He was most proud of the success of his many fellows and mentees, who carry on his legacy in cardiology departments in hospitals throughout the United States and around the world.
Dr. Weyman never lost his love of learning, both formal and informal. Even in his later years, he continued to learn, obtaining a Masters in Public Health from Harvard in his 60s. Dr. Weyman loved athletics, and played lacrosse for the Crusaders. He was an avid skier and golfer throughout his life. While he was fortunate enough to travel the world, his favorite destination reflected the man--sitting on his deck overlooking the Mad River in Waterville Valley, NH.
But with all his work and varied interests, his favorite activity was spending time with Jean. Whether it was struggling to learn French so he could converse in her favorite language in her favorite city—Paris—or sitting together in Starbucks talking for hours, wherever Jean was, that was where he most wanted to be.
Ned is also survived by his sister, Adair, and was the proud father of four children, Jennifer (Pete) Lyons, Shannon Weyman, Robert Weyman (Karen), and Elizabeth Weyman. He was a doting grandfather to four grandsons, Jack Lyons and Grant, James, and Nicholas Weyman, whose parents, aunts and uncles often marveled at how much easier it was to get Granddad Ned to spring for treats and toys than when they were kids.
Visitation at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St. Wellesley on Friday, June 21, from 4-7PM. A funeral Mass for Dr. Weyman will be held in St. Paul Church, 502 Washington St., Wellesley on Saturday, June 22, at 10AM. Relatives and friends kindly invited. The Mass will also be live streamed at www.harborview.live. Interment in Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ned’s memory to WCI: Work, Community, Independence Inc., an organization dedicated to providing housing, care, social networking, and work training for adults with special needs.