Newswise — The Mount Sinai Medical Center announced today the creation of Mount Sinai Heart, a new approach to cardiac care that combines all of Mount Sinai's world-class resources—internationally renowned physicians, scientists and educators, incomparable clinical services, leading-edge research, a first-rate cardiology training program—under one entity. The aim of this coordinated effort is to dramatically improve the heart health of individuals globally via an integrated approach to clinical care, basic research and clinical research. Mount Sinai Heart is scheduled to open May 5, 2006.
"We recognize the urgency to provide improved, patient-focused cardiovascular healthcare," states Kenneth L. Davis, M.D., President and CEO, The Mount Sinai Medical Center and Dean, Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "Mount Sinai Heart's integrated approach to patient care and the philosophy of translational medicine at the core of this institution will ensure that our heart patients benefit to the fullest."
"We are poised to join the top echelon of premier cardiovascular centers in the world," states Burton P. Drayer, M.D., President of The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Charles M. and Marilyn Newman Professor and Chair of Radiology of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "Mount Sinai Heart is entering an era of unparalleled opportunity to prevent and treat human illness. We have the team and infrastructure to make a dramatic impact on heart healthcare as we know it today."
The Director and driving force behind Mount Sinai Heart is world-renowned cardiologist Valentin Fuster, M.D., Ph.D. In addition to his Mount Sinai responsibilities—Director of the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute and Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health—Dr. Fuster is also the President of the World Heart Federation, Past President of the American Heart Association and the President of the Scientific Advisory and External Evaluation Committee of the National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) in Spain.
"We have the top cardiovascular research talent in the world to conduct groundbreaking studies, the critical resources to diagnose and treat patients, and a stimulating and creative environment to train the star cardiologists of tomorrow," shares Dr. Fuster. "Mount Sinai Heart is the future in preventing, treating and eradicating heart disease."
Key members of the Mount Sinai Heart team include:*Internationally renowned leader in the field of mitral valve repair- Dr. David H. Adams, the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Professor and Chairman, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery*Number one ranked interventional cardiologist with highest number of cases and lowest complications in the state of New York- Dr. Samin K. Sharma, Director of Interventional Cardiology and the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Co-Director of the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute and Professor of Medicine*The first surgeon in the United States to perform minimally invasive aortic aneurysm surgery- Dr. Michael L. Marin, the Henry Kaufmann Professor and Chair of Surgery and Vascular Surgery
Mount Sinai Heart Core Objectives* Provide an unprecedented quality of multi-disciplinary, patient focused care for all heart ailments with a longitudinal approach that begins prior to conception and continues through all life stages.* Translate innovative research concepts into improved preventive diagnostic and therapeutic care.* Become a magnet center for cardiovascular care regionally, nationally and internationally.
Unique initiatives to support the core objectives include:
A Patient Focused Approach Delivers Quality CareThe patient experience will be streamlined and enhanced at all points of care. A Mount Sinai Heart Concierge will be located just beyond the main entrance of 1190 5th Avenue on The Mount Sinai Medical Center campus. The concierge will be there to assist patients and families with questions or to provide directions to the appropriate floor. All Mount Sinai Heart services will be provided on floors 5, 6 and 7 in the Guggenheim Pavilion. Patients will feel at home with the extensive renovations already underway, including three new reception areas for family and visitors, carpeted hallways, earth-tone painted walls, and refurnished patient rooms equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment.
Groundbreaking Research Translates into Clinical ApplicationDr. Fuster was awarded a $25 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, to study patients with diabetes and multi-vessel coronary disease at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The global, multi-center study called the Future Revascularization Evaluation in patients with Diabetes Mellitus: Optimal management of Multivessel Disease (FREEDOM) trial is expected to be the definitive study to determine the best clinical practice—balloon angioplasty with drug-eluting stenting or coronary artery bypass graft surgery—for this patient population.
Roger J. Hajjar, M.D. will join The Mount Sinai Medical Center as the Director of Cardiovascular Research in the Fall of 2006. Dr. Hajjar will be responsible for expanding the Cardiovascular Research Program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The creation of a fully functional animal Catheterization Laboratory to simulate improved procedures for cellular gene therapy will be an integral part of the program. Inherited diseases, as well as many cancers and cardiovascular diseases, may eventually be helped by Dr. Hajjar's research which examines using cellular gene therapy (delivering therapeutic genes directly to the heart) to treat these globally devastating diseases. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Hajjar served as associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and staff cardiologist in the Heart Failure & Cardiac Transplantation Center. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and trained in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In addition to Dr. Hajjar, Mount Sinai Heart will continue to recruit leading cardiologists to broaden expertise in a multitude of areas.
Partnerships Abroad Extend Mount Sinai ReachIn February, The Mount Sinai Medical Center and CNIC announced that it is planning a unique partnership— a trans-Atlantic researcher exchange program to discover and train talented young scientists. Spanish scientists ranging from secondary school to post graduate studies will be vying for the opportunity to come to New York and work on Mount Sinai School of Medicine research projects under Dr. Fuster's leadership. Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers will have the opportunity to conduct research at CNIC's state-of-the-art headquarters and participate in collaborative research projects as well.
Sharing the Mount Sinai Heart Image with the WorldToday a major print advertising campaign introducing Mount Sinai Heart was launched to the world. The first advertisement debuted in today's issue of The New York Times, New York Post and Daily News. To further elevate the new Mount Sinai Heart image, fashion icon Oscar de la Renta will be designing the new uniforms.
ABOUT THE MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL CENTER The Mount Sinai HospitalThe Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. Founded in 1852, Mount Sinai today is a 1,171-bed tertiary-care teaching facility that is internationally-acclaimed for excellence in clinical care.
Mount Sinai School of MedicineLocated in Manhattan, Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized for ground-breaking clinical and basic-science research, and innovative approaches to medical education. Through the Mount Sinai Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Mount Sinai trains biomedical researchers with an emphasis on the rapid translation of discoveries of basic research into new techniques for fighting disease. One indication of Mount Sinai's leadership in scientific investigation is its receipt during fiscal year 2005 of $174.1 million in research support from the NIH. Mount Sinai School of Medicine is also known for unique educational programs such as the Humanities in Medicine program, which creates opportunities for liberal arts students to pursue medical school, and instructional innovations like The Morchand Center, the nation's largest program teaching students and physicians with "standardized patients" to become not only highly skilled, but compassionate caregivers. Long dedicated to improving its community, the School extends its boundaries to work with East Harlem and surrounding communities to provide access to health care and educational programs to at-risk populations.
Mount Sinai HeartMount Sinai Heart, under the creative leadership of Dr. Valentin Fuster, will take an integrated approach to clinical care, basic research and clinical research to dramatically improve the heart health of individuals globally. Mount Sinai Heart encompasses The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute and the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, preeminent resources for the study and treatment of heart and blood vessel diseases. Committed to finding new and improved methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention, they comprise a multidisciplinary effort that brings together the expertise of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and The Mount Sinai Hospital in cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, medical education, research and community service, with state-of-the-art facilities for patient care, advanced laboratories for scientific research and leading programs for postgraduate education of clinician-scientists.
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