Cleveland Clinic part of new cardiac surgery clinical trials networkSaturday, August 04, 2007Regina McEneryPlain Dealer ReporterHeart bypasses are on the decline, but the lucrative and evolving field of cardiac surgery is busier than ever, prompting the government to create an unusual clinical trials network that will look at which novel surgical techniques work best in which patients.The Cleveland Clinic is part of that $35 million network. It expects to launch its first study next year."The moment is right," said Dr. Eugene Blackstone, a cardiothoracic surgeon from the Clinic who has developed mathematical models that measure surgical outcomes in heart patients. "Cardiac surgery is no longer dominated by a single operation. There are new techniques, new devices, hybrid devices that go way beyond the routine bypass grafting."Blackstone and Dr. A. Marc Gillinov, a Clinic surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive heart valve surgery, are part of the network. It also includes specialists from Columbia University Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Montreal Heart Institute, University of Virginia Heart Center and Montefiore-Einstein Heart Center in New York.U.S. hospitals perform about 425,000 coronary bypasses a year, but their popularity has waned the last 10 years because of cardiac catheterizations and other less-invasive methods of diagnosing and treating heart disease. Coronary bypass, which seemed like rocket science in the 1960s when the Clinic and other maverick centers used blood vessels to create new routes around blocked arteries, is now fairly routine at smaller community hospitals.The Clinic did nearly three times as many valve procedures last year as coronary bypasses, according to the hospital. It also does more cardiac surgery than other U.S. hospitals.Blackstone said the surgical options now available to heart patients need the kind of rigorous clinical comparison that is commonly done with drugs in randomized clinical trials, where the treatment is kept hidden from patients and researchers to prevent bias.But while it may be easy comparing the merits of Motrin over aspirin, surgery comes down to technique.Centers look at things like mortality and complication rates, and length of hospitalization, but weighing surgical interventions in a randomized study is a much harder thing.But with the field of cardiac surgery increasingly driven by technology, it will be easier to standardize results, Gillinov said. What the network learns from its own doctors could ultimately have a big impact on how heart patients are treated down the road, he said.One condition ripe for review, said Gillinov, is atrial defibrillation, where poor blood prevents the heart from beating effectively. The condition increases with age, but there are now a number of new therapies that seem to alleviate the condition.How well they work and for how long could be a question taken up by the network.The National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes is financing the effort. Along with the research, Blackstone said, the Clinic will also use some of the money to train new surgeons in research methodology.To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:rmcenery@plaind.com, 216-999-5338
This might be a tall order, but there are so many Cleveland Clinic threads. Is it possible to condense these down to a few (construction, economic, urban bar, whatever)?
New Cardiovascular Center at Cleveland ClinicAired Tuesday, August 21, 2007The movement to attract biomedical companies from around the nation and the world to Cleveland received a large boost this week. ideastream's Rick Jackson has more.The announcement comes from the Cleveland Clinic, leading 20 academic and medical institutions in the project, and Team NEO, the business recruiting arm of the area's chambers of commerce.Their joint venture -- the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center, or GCIC, will be the most visible and costly push yet to entice state-of-the-art technology companies to either relocate, or send portions of their operations to Cleveland.Clinic technology Executive Director Chris Coburn calls the center an important catalyst for not only the medical community, but for the entire Northeast Ohio economy. He says several companies are already showing high interest about locating to a region populated by other cutting edge heart specialist firms.Chris Coburn: They will see that being in this community of CVI will help their bottom line, help them develop their products more quickly, validate their technology, putting them as part of a continuous chance of perspective to discuss their ideas with top physicians.Interest comes not only because of the Clinic, but because 11 of the top 100 rated cardiovascular related companies in the U.S. News' rankings are already located in Ohio. This push is to increase that number, and Cleveland's standing in the medical world.Chris Coburn: There are many novel aspects as to what the GCIC represents, and we believe we are applying lessons about how new cardiovascular technology emerges and gets to patients.A new building alongside the clinic complex on cedar road will house some of the planned operations. The $250 million price tag for the new center includes a portion of a $60 million state grant for biotechnology development. Rick Jackson, 90.3.
$2 million Cleveland Clinic gift helps schools, OneClassroom boost digital learning$2 million boosts broadband network in NE Ohio classesWednesday, August 29, 2007Ellen Jan KleinermanPlain Dealer ReporterA $2 million Cleveland Clinic donation announced Tuesday will help more Northeast Ohio teachers link their classrooms to digital and interactive video learning.The grant to OneCommunity will provide tools and training to teachers with the goal of extending the existing educational broadband network, called OneClassroom, to 1,500 public and private school buildings across 18 counties.The grant is part of the Clinic's five-year, $10 million commitment, first announced in 2005, to enhance education in area elementary and secondary schools.Rob Martens, OneCommunity's Education Program manager, said boosting the network will put this region well ahead of others. Teachers will have a central place to rapidly search for materials from both global and local resources.OneCommunity, a nonprofit, ultra-broadband provider with a regional fiber optic network, will get $1 million immediately and the rest of the money over the next four years, Clinic spokeswoman Michelle Bolek said.Last year, OneCommunity and its partners used nearly $1 million from the Clinic to attract $8 million in federal money for construction of a digital infrastructure. At that time, buildings in the Cleveland public school district were linked to the network.OneCommunity President Scot Rourke said the network should reach many of the region's public classrooms by the end of 2007. The program called OneClassroom is a secure Web-based system that delivers educational materials and distance learning to schools through its broadband network.Martens said initially 15 schools will be selected for a pilot beginning in January, and the remaining schools will be connected during the 2008-09 school year.Eventually, students will have 24-hour access to programs designed to help them with homework and projects.The OneClassroom program was developed in partnership with WVIZ Channel 25 and WCPN FM/90.3 (both part of Ideastream) and regional leaders from Instructional Technology Centers, higher education, health care providers, local foundations and global technology companies.Go to onecommunity.org for a list of the schools receiving support.To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:ekleiner@plaind.com, 1-800-628-6689
Clinic explores linking medical school with Columbia U., not CaseMedical school may switch affiliation from CaseWednesday, September 05, 2007Regina McEneryPlain Dealer ReporterThree years after welcoming its first class, the Cleveland Clinic is negotiating to switch the academic affiliation of its Lerner College of Medicine from Case Western Reserve University to Columbia University.Officials from the Clinic and the two universities declined to comment Tuesday on the possible switch. But sources told The Plain Dealer that Columbia officials plan to visit the city soon and that an announcement christening the new arrangement is a possibility.If so, the move is sure to leave behind bruised feelings at Case, which partnered with the Clinic to create the unique training program for physician-scientists, then quickly saw its standing in the highly competitive federal research arena rise.Less clear is what impact a change in venue will have on a complicated affiliation agreement reached by the Clinic, Case and its primary clinical affiliate, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, several years ago. The affiliation agreement helped launch the boutique school.Also unclear is whether the defection would upset the Clinic's partnership in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, a federally designated center that helped the Clinic earn points in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings and eventually surpass UH.The Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, as it is official- ly called, is the second medi- cal school under Case's tute- lage.Case also grants degrees to the longstanding and much larger Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.Lerner's five-year program runs one year longer to allow students to complete a medical degree as well as a master's-level thesis.There is no other program like it in the country.Administrators at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and a spokeswoman for the Clinic declined to comment about any talks."We have a longstanding relationship on research with Case," said Eileen Sheil, director of media relations for the Clinic. "That relationship has not changed. Unfortunately, we cannot comment on any conversations with any institutions about potential negotiations."Case's vice president for university relations, Lara Kalafatis, said the school would have no comment because there has been no announcement from the Clinic.Sources said that the Clinic has been shopping its medical school to a number of universities but that Columbia seemed the most interested.One reason could be the volume of federal grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health, which can elevate a medical school's reputation and be a useful tool in attracting new talent. Case leads Columbia in the NIH rankings, but a Clinic-Columbia alliance would allow the New York school to count Lerner grants in its total and probably surpass Case.The medical college is named for the late businessman Al Lerner, a major benefactor of the Clinic.Lerner and his family pledged $100 million toward creation of the college in June 2002. Lerner died later that year.Lerner, the founder and chairman of MBNA Corp., was a 1955 graduate of Columbia College and later was a member of that university's board of trustees.In 1995, he pledged $25 million toward construction of a new student center on Columbia's campus that now bears his name.Plain Dealer reporter Janet Okoben contributed to this story.To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:rmcenery@plaind.com, 216-999-5338
Cleveland Clinic link with Columbia would be formidable, but would damage CWRUA Cleveland Clinic alliance with Columbia University would be formidable, but it would damage CWRUThursday, September 06, 2007Changing partners?A Cleveland Clinic alliance with Columbia University would be formidable, but it would damage CWRUWhen the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University announced in May 2002 that they would open a specialty medical school to train clinical researchers, the hosannas echoed from University Circle to the farthest exurbs.The university, it was hoped, would be the harness that would finally get Northeast Ohio's medical powerhouses pulling together.A real, working partnership - at least on some matters - would strengthen this region's claim as a medical mecca. Great minds and new research dollars would flow in, and stay. Allied industries - medical devices, nanotechnology, materials science - would follow and grow. The school's graduates would burnish the names of all three institutions - the Clinic, CWRU and University Hospitals.Now comes the revelation that the Clinic is looking for a new university partner. If it finds one, the Cleveland Clinic College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University will be in for a name change.The favorite for the new partnership role is said to be Columbia University. The Clinic certainly could do worse than linking with a university that is one of America's best-regarded and that boasts one of its finest medical schools.But if Greater Clevelanders feel a pang of sorrow that the grand local alliance appears to be crumbling, the Clinic's leaders should forgive them. And if Greater Clevelanders wonder whether the Clinic's decision has something to do with a desire for greater status, it's hard to blame them.The Clinic's leadership must do what they deem best for their own institution, of course, but the shift in alliances would not only cost a good local university the means to become even better, it would actually diminish that good local university. Research dollars that would have benefited CWRU's scholars and enhanced its reputation would go elsewhere.The chance for Cleveland's great medical institutions to present a united front against competition from other regions would be diminished, too - and at the very time when this region is making a strong commitment to medicine as the industry of the future.Disheartening though all of this may be, it need not be disastrous. The Clinic's medical school is likely to thrive, no matter which academic partner it has. And the damage to Cleveland's medical momentum should be slight, as long as all of the local institutions bear these thoughts in mind:The Clinic and University Hospitals are the key players in Greater Cleveland's hopes to grow based on the strong local concentration of excellent medicine and medical research. And those institutions must not allow the climate of their competition to deteriorate to anything like the self-interested brawling of the 1990s. From time to time, each will need to go its own way, but neither should do so without carefully considering the impact of its decisions on the region and its broad goals.It will be disappointing if the Clinic ends its affiliation with CWRU.
Foundation awards Clinic $1M grantBy SHANNON MORTLAND9:21 am, September 6, 2007The Cleveland Clinic has received a $1 million grant to research and create stem cell-based therapies for cardiovascular disease.The Skirball Foundation, which was founded in 1950 in Cleveland but now is based in New York, provided the gift. The grant will support research in the Skirball Laboratory for Cardiovascular Cellular Therapeutics, which will be overseen by Dr. Marc Penn, director of the Clinic’s Cardiovascular Medicine Research Group for Cell Therapy.Researchers in the lab will study different stem cells to determine how cell-based therapies can be created and used to restore normal heart function.“Stem cell therapies hold the keys to identifying not only how we can preserve the heart after a heart attack, but how we can fully repair it,” Dr. Penn said. “This grant will enable us to explore the mechanisms of a variety of stem cell populations, ultimately giving us the basis for genetically engineering stem cells that can be used to repair damaged heart tissue.”
Clinic names Bruce Lytle to head new Heart and Vascular InstituteFriday, October 05, 2007Sarah Jane TribblePlain Dealer ReporterJust days after nabbing the medical community's spotlight with news that it ousted a top heart doctor, the Cleveland Clinic late Thursday announced more cardiac news.The Clinic, rated by U.S. News & World Report as the nation's top heart hospital, announced during a 5 p.m. staff gathering that it had named Dr. Bruce Lytle as the chairman of its new Heart and Vascular Institute.The institute, which will be part of a 970,000-square-foot, $506 million building expansion now under construction, is expected to increase patient capacity by 50 percent, with 16 operating rooms, 129 physician offices and hundreds of beds."It's a great thing for Cleveland," Lytle said in a phone interview. "If you look around Cleveland and you try to localize how many construction cranes are currently functioning, you won't find very many. The Cleveland Clinic has the individual responsibility that we all have as physicians to patients. But we also have a responsibility to Cleveland, and believe me, we feel that."Clinic officials also announced Dr. Walid Saliba will take over as the interim section head of cardiac electrophysiology and pacing, which is part of the Clinic's new institute. The Clinic abruptly declined to renew the position late last week for Dr. Andrea Natale, who pioneered the treatment of specific electrical heart problems. Natale's contract expired on Sunday, and there will be a full search for his replacement.Both newly appointed doctors have been with the Clinic for a number of years.Lytle, a 29-year veteran of the Clinic, will oversee not only the expansion of the Clinic's heart program but also the reorganization.Saliba, formerly director of the electrophysiology lab, has been at the Clinic for eight years with a focus on new therapies for irregular heartbeats and pacemakers. Electrophysiology is the study of electrical activity of a part of the body - in this case, the heart. Saliba was not available for comment.Natale declined an interview request Thursday via e-mail.In a message on his Web site, andreanatale.com, he told patients that he did not choose to leave but rather was forced out because of services he provided outside the Clinic.If he had stayed at the Clinic, Natale would have been working within the structure of the new institute. Lytle, who did not comment directly about Natale, said that when working at the Clinic doctors should understand that they don't have total freedom and sometimes they don't get as much money as they could elsewhere."When you work at an institution like the Cleveland Clinic, you make certain assumptions, and one is that the environment that you're in is going to allow you to be the best doctor that you're going to be," he said. "Now, you give something up for that and what you give up for that is that there are just rules of conduct and rules of ethics that you agree to abide by."To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:stribble@plaind.com, 216-999-4255
'NBC Nightly News' to focus on Cleveland Clinic, local veteranPosted by Julie E. Washington November 09, 2007 15:24PMParts of Monday's "NBC Nightly News" will look familiar to Cleveland viewers."NBC Nightly News" and anchor Brian Williams are coming here to produce a piece on the Cleveland Clinic as a major employer and research facility.Williams also plans to highlight a Cleveland veteran of the conflict in Iraq, but is keeping the veteran's name quiet until broadcast on Nov. 12."NBC Nightly News" is spending the day here because, as Williams put it, "we like to visit the customers." Trips like this one remind his staff that they can't confuse Manhattan for the rest of America, he said in an interview Friday with The Plain Dealer. He'll stop in Chicago before returning to his home studio in New York.Williams likes to step outside his New York newsroom, either to pursue the news or spoof himself. He showed his playful side during a Nov. 3 guest-host stint on "Saturday Night Live."He pulled off a funny skit about the typical day of an egotistical network anchor, which included lunch at a roped-off table in the NBC cafeteria."Could there be anything cooler?" he asked, clearly still juiced about the experience. "It was everything I hoped it could be. I don't think I destroyed journalism."Pundits predicted he could lose credibility with the appearance. But viewers are smart enough to know that while his day job is reporting serious stories, at 11:30 p.m on his night off, he can do something different, Williams said."There's gotta be room in life to fulfill a childhood fantasy," he said.Williams also is a regular on late-night talk shows, as well as "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart.Pointing to political satire's long history, Williams said he thinks "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" with Stephen Colbert "have become like another branch of government. They keep everybody a little more honest."But, he added: "I don't recommend them as a primary source" for news, say, about the volatile situation in Pakistan.Speaking of Pakistan, Williams spoke about hearing from NBC news correspondent Richard Engel, who was stationed outside opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's home in Islamabad on Friday. Engel was in the throng while police prevented Bhutto from leaving to lead a rally.His report would be seen that night -- world-spanning, hard news coverage that comedy shows can't offer."We are there at great cost and great risk," Williams said
Cleveland Clinic gives $2.3 million to city schoolsPosted by Ellen Jan Kleinerman November 29, 2007 14:43PMCategories: EducationThe Cleveland Clinic today announced a $2.3 million donation to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District for elementary math and English textbooks.This is part of the $10 million in cash and services that the Clinic pledged in 2005 to give to area schools over a five-year period. Rosalind Strickland, senior director of the Clinic's Office of Civic Education Initiatives, said Cleveland public schools requested the money as it continues to align its courses to state standards. The books have been purchased and are being used by students now, she said.The Clinic's previous donations include: $2.6 million in 2006 to buy math and science textbooks for Cleveland public students in grades 6 through 10; $1 million in 2006 to Cleveland schools to connect buildings to the OneCommunity distance learning network; $38,000 to Entrepreneurship Preparatory School for computers at the charter school; and $2 million in 2006 to connect suburban schools to OneCommunity.
Cleveland Clinic Twinsburg facility will be outpatient and surgery centerOutpatient services, surgery part of planThursday, December 20, 2007Joan MazzoliniPlain Dealer ReporterThe Cleveland Clinic's new facility in Twinsburg will be a four-story, $71.5 million outpatient medical clinic and surgery center, complete with a helipad and a full-time emergency department, officials announced this week.The Clinic paid about $5 million for 84 acres on Darrow Road (Ohio 91) near Interstate 480 in the last few years and at the time said it was deciding what kind of facility to build.The size of the property gives the Clinic the ability to expand the planned 168,500-square-foot center into a full-service hospital.When the facility opens in late 2009, about 300 people will be employed there, bringing Twinsburg about $600,000 in payroll taxes and $1.3 million to the state of Ohio."This new Twinsburg medical campus is an example of our commitment to bringing Cleveland Clinic care closer to patients to make it more convenient for them to access needed medical services, " said Dr. Cynthia Deyling, head of the Clinic's regional operations in a release.The Clinic's facility is just around the corner from a new outpatient clinic University Hospitals will soon open. Both hospital systems are expanding out, following well-insured patients and their exodus out of Cuyahoga County. Twinsburg is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state.At the same time, however, the two hospitals' moves into northern Summit County are encroaching on others, in this case Akron-based Summa Health System. Summa is also expanding, by buying or affiliating with hospitals in its main area of service, which includes Summit, Medina, Portage, Stark and Wayne counties.This is the first time one of the Clinic's outpatient facilities has a full-time emergency department, though it would be more of an urgent-care center rather than a place for patients with life-threatening emergencies who needed to be hospitalized.The Clinic has a helicopter program, so some patients could be flown to the main campus downtown or other Clinic hospitals. But the Clinic also recently announced an affiliation with Akron General Medical Center, which would give area residents the ability to have outpatient procedures in Twinsburg and be hospitalized in Akron.Construction on the Twinsburg facility is expected to begin in the spring.To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:jmazzolini@plaind.com, 216-999-4563
Cleveland Clinic Is Gold Sponsor of Arab Health 2008Team of nine medical professionals will offer expertise on various Medical, Leadership and Healthcare IT Topics DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, January 22, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Booth # 2C10 -- Cleveland Clinic, one of the world's leading healthcare institutions and the number one heart center in the United States is a Gold Sponsor of the Arab Health Congress 2008 -- the region's leading medical event. The Gold Sponsorship is a demonstration of the Clinic's commitment to the Middle East region and in offering world-leading healthcare expertise for the benefit of patients throughout the Gulf. In addition to the sponsorship, nine of the Clinic's leading doctors and professionals will be speaking at the Arab Health Congress, which will be held at Dubai's International Exhibition Center from January 28th to the 31st. President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic, Delos M. "Toby" Cosgrove, M.D., said, "Cleveland Clinic has long been committed to the Middle East region. We value this significant opportunity to share our expertise, knowledge and insights, and learn from other specialists, about some of the most important topics facing medical professionals, and patients today." A summary of the Clinic's speakers and their topics follows below: Delos M. "Toby" Cosgrove, M.D., CEO Cleveland Clinic, will present on 'Patient Centered Healthcare,' at the Leaders in Healthcare Congress on Monday, January 28th. Dr. Cosgrove will discuss the Clinic's move to the 'institutes' model whereby patients receive better quality care, with direct access to the most suitable 'institute' for their healthcare requirement. Paul Matsen, Chief Marketing, Communications and Planning Officer will be part of the speaker faculty at the Global Healthcare Marketing Congress, sharing his insights on 'Building Healthcare Brands,' on Tuesday January 29th. Dr. Martin Harris, M.B.A. -- Chief Information Officer and Chairman of the Information Technology Division at Cleveland Clinic will share his knowledge on 'Transforming the Practice of Medicine through Information Technology' at the IT in Healthcare Forum on Monday, January 28th. Dr. Phillip Schauer -- Director of Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery will discuss 'Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery' at the Surgery Congress on Tuesday, January 29th. Dr. Murat Tuzcu -- Director of the Intravascular Ultrasound Laboratory in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, will deliver a presentation on 'What is in the Pipeline for the Percutaneous Valve Treatment?' at the Interventional Cardiology Congress on Monday, January 28th. Dr. Wael K. Barsoum, Vice Chairman, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, will present his research on 'Impingement in Hip Arthroplasty' on Tuesday, January 29th at the Orthopaedics Congress. He will additionally address the topic of 'Computer Assisted Navigation in Total Knee Replacement'. Dr. Joseph Iannotti -- Chairman of the Orthopedic and Rheumatologic Institute, will discuss 'In 2007 is there a Role for Open Acromioplasty and Rotator Cuff Repair' and 'Shoulder Replacement for Trauma' at the Orthopaedics Congress on Tuesday, January 29th. Dr. Sandip Vasavada -- Urologic Director at the Center for Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute will present 'Evaluation and Management of Stress Urinary Incontinence' at the Middle East Urology Congress on Wednesday, January 30th. Dr. Daniel Mazenec -- Vice Chairman at the Center for Spine Health, Cleveland Clinic will present on 'Back Pain -- Red Flags and Non-Surgical Management,' at the Musculoskeletal Conference on Monday, January 28th.Cleveland Clinic has a long history of treating patients from the Middle East. The Clinic's participation in the Arab Health Congress is in recognition of the increasing demands for healthcare services in the region. Cleveland Clinic has its own International Center to help facilitate the journey for international patients who need to travel to Cleveland Clinic for care. The International Center helps to coordinate travel arrangements, lodging and medical appointments for patients and physicians from around the world, and services for patients such as interpreters for health care appointments. The annual U. S. News & World Report, "America's Best Hospitals" recently ranked Cleveland Clinic Heart Center as number one in the United States for the 13th consecutive year. Cleveland Clinic was also ranked among the three best hospitals in the United States out of more than six thousand surveyed hospitals, and the Taussig Cancer Institute was ranked 14th in the United States. Overall, the survey ranked 16 specialties at the Clinic among the best in the United States and deemed eleven of those specialties to be among the top ten. The Cleveland Clinic Urological Institute and Digestive Disease Center are also ranked very near the top of their fields. The institution's specialties of orthopaedics, otolaryngology, nephrology, neurology/neurological surgery, rheumatology, pulmonary, endocrinology, and geriatrics are each positioned in America's top ten. Other specialties noted for excellence at Cleveland Clinic include ophthalmology, gynecology, cancer, and psychiatry. Cleveland Clinic has approximately 1,800 physicians and researchers on their staff, representing 120 specialties and subspecialties. In 2005, Cleveland Clinic provided for nearly 3 million outpatient
