UM To Lead Historic NIH-funded National Children’s Study in Florida
10/3/2008

Drs. Miller, Wilkinson, Armstrong, Goldschmidt and Lipshultz at the news conference to announce the Miller School’s lead role in the NIH-funded National Children’s Study.

The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has been selected by the National Institutes of Health as the study center in Florida for the wide-reaching National Children’s Study, an unprecedented look at the health of children in the U.S. that examines both environmental and genetic factors. Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., and the team of researchers from the Miller School’s Department of Pediatrics who will lead the study announced the details today at a news conference in the Batchelor Children’s Research Institute on the medical campus.

UHealth Unveils HeartAware and New CT Scanner
9/30/2008

William O’Neill, M.D., chief medical officer of UHeath, prepares to undergo a scan using the 128-slice CT (computed tomography) now at University of Miami Hospital.   William O’Neill, M.D., resting comfortably while inside the 128-slice CT scan.

Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women across the United States, with nearly 2,400 Americans dying from cardiovascular disease each day.  With the goal of reducing that statistic, the University of Miami Health System (UHealth) has launched the HeartAware screening program.  HeartAware is a national program that provides a confidential heart screening to help identify and manage risk factors.

“This is a critical tool that can help identify people who are at risk,” says William O’Neill, M.D., chief medical officer of UHealth.  The test can be taken online in just seven minutes.  O’Neill, a renowned interventional cardiologist, stresses that this simple questionnaire is so critical that it should be taken by every man over the age of 40 and every woman over the age of 50.  Smokers, diabetics and those with a family history of heart disease should take the screening at an even earlier age.

Alonzo Mourning Named Spokesman for
Miami Transplant Institute
9/25/2008

NBA star Alonzo Mourning pictured with Dean Goldschmidt, M.D., Marvin O’Quinn, CEO of Jackson Memorial Health System (far left), and Andreas Tzakis, M.D., Ph.D. (far right), at a news conference today announcing Mourning’s new role as spokesperson for the Miami Transplant Institute.

Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat star and kidney transplant recipient, is the new spokesman for the Miami Transplant Institute at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.  The announcement was made at a news conference this morning on the medical campus in Miami attended by Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., dean of the Miller School, Marvin O’Quinn, CEO of Jackson Memorial Health System, Andreas Tzakis, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Miami Transplant Institute, and Mourning.

“I know firsthand that transplantation saves lives and I want to lend my voice and influence to build the Miami Transplant Institute into a world leader in clinical care and research,” said Mourning, who congratulated the institute for the 7,000 kidney transplants it has performed. “I am a huge believer in the work done by Dr. Tzakis and I share his vision for the future. Together as a team, we can have a championship in the medical world.”

Miller School Dean Delivers Lecture in Pisa in Honor of UM Professor
9/23/2008

Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., delivers lecture at University of Pisa .

Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., senior vice president for medical affairs and dean of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, delivered a guest lecture at the Aula Magna of University of Pisa Medical School in honor of the late Renzo Romanelli, M.D.  The Sept. 16 presentation was titled “Predicting Cardiovascular Illness for the 21st Century.”

Leaders from the University of Pisa  were in the audience including Professor Mario Petrini, chair of hematology; Professor Paolo Barachini, chair of dermatology; Professor Antonio Salvetti, director of internal medicine;  Professor Alberto Balbarini, director of cardio-thoracic surgery and many other faculty members, residents and students.

UM Otolaryngology Chairman Receives National Award
9/22/2008

Thomas J. Balkany, M.D.

Thomas J. Balkany, M.D., Hotchkiss Professor and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has received a Presidential Citation from the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.  The prestigious award was presented during the opening ceremony of the organization’s annual meeting on September 21 in Chicago.

The Presidential Citation is one of the academy’s highest honors and recognizes individuals selected by the academy’s president for their outstanding contributions and dedication to the specialty at the national level.  The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery is the world’s largest organization representing 12,000 physicians who treat the ear, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck.

Estefans Rally to Support UM’s Storm Relief for Haiti
9/19/2008

Emilio and Gloria Estefan, longtime supporters of UM and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, pose here with Marc Buoniconti, center. The Estefans are now donating to UM’s Haiti Relief Effort. (Photo Courtesy of Rob Camarena)

Emilio and Gloria Estefan have made a $25,000 donation to the University of Miami’s fundraising effort aimed at helping storm-weary Haiti.

“Gloria has been on tour in Europe, but following the tragedy unfolding so close to South Florida,” said Emilio Estefan.  The Estefans interrupted the concert tour in Spain to direct funds to the University of Miami and Project Medishare, saying, “We want the Haitian community to know that we love and support them during this time of need.”
 

UM Miller School Scientist Delivers Prestigious Lecture
9/15/2008

Camillo Ricordi, M.D. delivers the prestigious Galileo lecture in Rome.

Camillo Ricordi, M.D., scientific director and chief academic officer of the Diabetes Research Institute and a Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, delivered the prestigious Galileo Lecture on September 8 at the 44th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Rome.  The presentation was made at the opening plenary session of the Congress before 15,000 delegates from around the world.   Representatives from several Italian media outlets also turned out for the lecture and provided coverage in the evening newscasts and in local newspapers.

Ricordi’s lecture was titled Islet Transplantation Beyond Systemic Immunosuppression: Cellular Therapies Meet Bioengineering.  During his lecture, Ricordi looked at the progress made in islet cell transplantation as a possible cure for type 1 diabetes.  He specifically traced the progress of the Edmonton protocol for immunosuppression over the past decade, while talking about new strategies under evaluation to further improve long-term clinical outcomes.

UM Miller School Leading Storm Relief Effort in Haiti
9/11/2008

Flooding on a street in the Hinche District of Haiti’s Central Plateau, where Project Medishare has worked to provide relief.   Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., senior vice president for medical affairs and dean, speaks at Miami City Hall about coordinating the storm relief effort to Haiti. Bart Chernow, M.D., vice president for special programs and resource strategy (left), and Miami Mayor Manny Diaz (right) look on.   Co-Founders of Project Medishare: Barth Green, M.D., professor and chairman of neurological surgery, and Arthur Fournier, M.D., professor of family medicine and associate dean for community health.

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is a leader in the South Florida effort to bring relief to the storm-ravaged nation of Haiti.  In a few short weeks, Haiti has been the target of four storms that have caused hundreds of deaths, destroyed homes and left torrential flooding.  Today, Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., senior vice president for medical affairs and dean, and Bart Chernow, M.D., vice president for special programs and resource strategy, appeared at a news conference organized by Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and City Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones to urge residents to contribute to the storm relief effort.

“The Miller School’s commitment to providing assistance and medical care to Haiti has never been stronger than it is during this terrible time of need,” said Dean Goldschmidt.  For many years UM’s Project Medishare, co-founded by Barth Green, M.D., professor and chairman of neurological surgery, and Arthur Fournier, M.D., professor of family medicine and associate dean for community health, has been providing medical care to one of Haiti’s poorest regions, the Central Plateau.  Now the Miller School’s outreach is increasing to meet the dire need created by these storms.  Over the past week Project Medishare has been featured in a number of relief stories and Dr. Fournier has been interviewed by The Miami Herald, The Sun-Sentinel and NBC6, detailing the effort to get help to Haiti.

UM Researchers Find Molecule Regulates Cardiac Hypertrophy
9/12/2008

Nanette Bishopric, M.D.

Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, led by Nanette Bishopric, M.D., have made a discovery that identifies a key molecule responsible for excessive growth of the heart muscle, or hypertrophy, which may lead to heart failure.  The findings could lead to new preventive therapies for adults and children.

The molecule, acetyltransferase p300, is essential for cardiac development.  Using mouse models, the research team found that excess amounts of p300 in the heart lead to a corresponding degree of hypertrophy.  Reducing p300 resulted in less hypertrophy in response to stress such as high blood pressure, and too much p300 led to spontaneous hypertrophy and eventually to heart failure and death.