News

For the current issue of the International Chronicle, click here.

To view our advertisement in Nexos American Airlines magazine click here. 

To view the episode of UHealth’s Breakthrough Medicine series, To Walk Another Day: Leg-Saving Transplant Surgery, click here.

In this episode viewers will meet a young mother from the Bahamas with bone cancer as she fights to save her leg and her life by undergoing a donor knee transplant performed by experts from UHealth's Department of Orthopaedics and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Viewers will learn about the University of Miami's innovative Tissue Bank, and how the team, led by H. Thomas Temple, M.D., uses donated bone and tissue to perform limb-sparing and life-saving surgery.

To find out more about the Breakthrough Medicine documentary series, click here.

Enrique A. Mesri, Ph.D., Appointed to the Committee of Advisors for Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Foreign Countries
Enrique A. Mesri, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and internationally recognized researcher, has been appointed member of the Committee of Advisors for Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Foreign Countries by the Argentine Ministry of Science Technology and Productive Innovation.  The ad-honorem designation is the equivalent of a Scientific Ambassador of Argentina in the United States.

This recognition crowns ten years of work and leadership in international collaborations with Argentine scientists which includes the creation of a joint scientific institute in the areas of genomic medicine and molecular epidemiology.  Dr. Mesri’s appointment recognizes the emphasis on excellence, the tradition in international cooperation and the commitment to biomedical research the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine exemplifies and it represents an extraordinary opportunity for future scientific and academic collaborations.

UHealth Physicians and Asociación de Cardiólogos de Nicaragua (ASCANI) Symposium
Internationally renowned UHealth cardiologists gathered in Managua, Nicaragua from November 6-8 to discuss the latest advances and treatments in interventional cardiology.  Hector Jimenez, Medical Director, University of Miami Hospital and Mauricio G. Cohen, Associate Professor of Medicine, UHealth Cardiovascular Division, presented lectures on acute coronary syndrome and other topics.

This collaboration will continue as Drs. Jimenez and Cohen work with Nicaraguan colleagues and ASCANI on next year’s congress.  Nicaragua was selected as the site of the 2010 regional cardiology congress (XXVI Congreso Centroamericano y del Caribe de Cardiología).  The event will take place May 19 – 22, 2010; speakers and participants from Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the United States are expected to attend.

Pictured from left, Michele Chulick, Paul Hudgins, Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., William J. Donelan and Eduardo de Marchena, M.D.

UHealth Senior Leadership Team Discusses Best Practices at UCare’s Seventh Leadership Development Institute
As part of UHealth – University of Miami Health System’s targeted efforts to create a unified, patient-centric health system, about 400 leaders participated in the latest UCare Leadership Development Institute (LDI). The sessions were held October 15 and 16 and covered a range of topics that participants could immediately use in their respective departments as they push themselves and their staffs to excellence.

The sessions covered several learning objectives, including standardizing the process for selection; effectively managing performance; sharing best practices for results across the health system; conducting effective meetings; and building pride in the system by sharing stellar "Pillar" results and showcasing physician achievement. The Pillars of Excellence of UHealth are service, people, quality, growth and finance.

Curso Internacional de Gastroenterología 2009 -  Peru
Internationally renowned gastroenterology experts gathered in Lima, Peru from October 7^th through 10^th to discuss the latest breakthroughs in this field.  Marcelo F. Larsen, M.D., Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine with the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine presented the latest GI topics with particular focus on a novel technique, Cholangioscopy Procedure with Spy Glass, including case studies of this and other advances.  Harrington Program alumnus, Martin Tagle, M.D., lectured on diagnostic techniques and identification methodology.

Carrying the teaching mission of the International Medicine Institute through conferences such as this, University physicians and alumni are able to share their expertise with colleagues all over the world.

Photo on the right shows Drs. Martin Tagle, Marcelo F. Larsen and Marco Flores at the Lima conference.

 

One Man's Life Mission
Restoring sight to a patient is the most important thing in life for Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D.  Case in point, he presides over one of the most prestigious ophthalmic institutions in the world.  “As an ophthalmologist, it is extremely rewarding when we are able to restore sight to a patient,” said Alfonso, chairman of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. “As clinicians and researchers, we work together on a daily basis to discover more breakthroughs that will allow us to prevent vision loss.”

For the complete article in El Nuevo Herald, click here.

Dr. Roberto Heros to Receive Prestigious Harvey Cushing Medal
Roberto C. Heros, M.D., professor and co-chair of neurological surgery and residency program director, has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the prestigious Harvey Cushing Medal.

The Cushing Medal is the highest honor given by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) to a neurosurgeon. The award, established in 1976 and given annually since 1977, recognizes an AANS member for distinguished service in the field of neurosurgery.

For the complete article in eUpdate, click here.

Blind Patient Regains Sight
Blind for nine years, Sharron “Kay” Thornton has just regained her sight through a first-in-the-U.S. surgical procedure at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

For eVeritas article of September 16, 2009, click here

Click here to watch a video of the news conference

For the University of Miami news release of September 16, 2009, click here

Dr. Leopoldo Raij Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from American Heart Association 
Leopoldo Raij, M.D., FAHA, professor of medicine and a nationally recognized hypertension researcher,  received the 2009 Irvine Page-Alva Bradley Lifetime Achievement Award in Hypertension. The prestigious award, sponsored by the American Heart Association's Council for High Blood Pressure Research, is presented annually to an individual who has shown a lifetime of outstanding achievements in the field of hypertension and has served as a role model through service, research, teaching and training--a description Raij exemplifies.

"Just imagine how flattered I am to receive such a prestigious national award, and it is given to me by my peers, which is so important, because my peers are the ones who can best evaluate my accomplishments," said Dr. Raij. "I'm very, very happy."

For the complete article of August 24, 2009, click here.

Eduardo de Marchena, M.D., Associate Dean for International Medicine Shares Views on the Institute's Outreach
Dr. Eduardo de Marchena of the International Medicine Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine says his institution's outreach is a natural extension of work the university has done for 40 years, training thousands of doctors who now practice in Latin America. "When you need help, you always call your friend. And basically, we've established those relationships throughout the years," de Marchena says. "And we use those relationships for that kind of referral."

For the complete article of August 13, 2009, click here.  Click here to listen.   

Dr. Ernesto A. Pretto Quoted on Prensa.com
Ernesto A. Pretto, Jr., M.D., M.P.H., Co-Director for Clinical Initiatives of the International Medicine Institute and Professor and Chief of the Division of Solid Organ Transplant of the Department of Anesthesiology supports the proposed modification to the Panamanian organ transplant law of 1995.

For the Prensa.com article of August 19, 2009 in Spanish, click here.

Executive Dean for Clinical Affairs on Sudden Cardiac Deaths
William W. O'Neill, M.D., executive dean for clinical affairs, professor of medicine and chief medical officer of UHealth – the University of Miami Health System is a leader in interventional cardiology and in the diagnosis and treatment of obstructed heart arteries research.  Dr. O’Neill comments on recent sudden cardiac death and its relevance to the aging Baby Boomer population.

A free online test to determine your risk for cardiovascular disease is available at www.umiamihospital.com or click here. The HeartAware screening is offered, at no cost, to anyone but it is especially recommended for men over 40 and women over 50. Those who test at higher risk of heart disease can receive a free screening from UHealth.

For the article of August 11, 2009 in the Miami Herald, click here.

J. Donald Temple, M.D. Quoted in The New York Times 
Dr. J. Donald Temple, associate professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and medical director of the William J. Harrington Medical Training Program for Latin America and the Caribbean was sought for his expert input on challenges foreign-trained doctors face in the United States. 

For the article of August 4, 2009, click here.  

Jose Quesada, M.D., M.B.A. of UHealth International Writes About the Economic Implications of Medical Tourism
The University of Miami Health System provides medical care to patients from around the world.  Its excellent customer service and access to the latest clinical and research developments play a critical role in the South Florida economic arena.

For the article of August 4, 2009 in  Medical Tourism Magazine, click here.