CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Case Medical Center is currently recruiting patients from its Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as possible participants in a five-year study made possible by a recently awarded $4 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant.

CLEVELAND – Mary Hellerstein, M.D., and her late husband, Herman Hellerstein, M.D., were always concerned with matters of the heart. Their dedication to patients was clear while they practiced medicine at University Hospitals (UH), and was validated by a generous $1.5 million gift from family and friends to celebrate Herman Hellerstein’s life and achievements in cardiovascular care and establish the Herman K. Hellerstein, M.D., Chair.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals presented its first Honorary Lifetime Board Member Award to Mr. George M. Humphrey II for more than 25 years of outstanding service to the University Hospitals Board of Directors. The award was presented December 1 to Mr. Humphrey, who is retiring from the board, and coincided with the announcement of a challenge grant and a chair, both named in his honor. The Humphrey Challenge will provide $500,000 for every $1million donated with a view to inspiring eight new chairs in the Neurological Institute.

Furthermore, in recognition of the significant role that Mr.Humphrey has played in continuing his family’s legacy of support, the Humphrey Family and the Board of Directors of UH will establish the George M. Humphrey II Chair in Neurology.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals has recruited a top physician informatics expert with experience in implementing electronic health records to serve in the new position of Chief Medical Information Officer. In her role, Holly Miller, M.D., M.B.A., will oversee the strategy and implementation of the $88 million dollar system that will place UH at the forefront of electronic medical record management.

During her 20 years as a physician and administrator, Miller served since 2005 as the managing director of eCleveland Clinic, responsible for Cleveland Clinic’s MyChart (personal electronic health record), MyMonitoring, and VirtualVisit projects. Among her achievements were implementation and dissemination of the electronic system across the Clinic’s main campus, family health centers, and Florida facility. She joined the Clinic in 1999 as director of the clinical internet systems.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals announced today that it has acquired 25 acres of land off the Interstate 90/Route 44 interchange in Concord Township and is considering possible uses for the site to best serve the needs of the rapidly growing communities in Lake and Geauga counties.

“We have seen a significant increase in the number of patients and physicians associated with University Hospitals in the Lake and Geauga County region, and, as a result, we have analyzed expansion options in these communities for quite some time,” said Achilles A. Demetriou, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “When this property became available, we recognized how perfectly it suits our needs and we seized the opportunity to purchase it. The location along two major highways is easily accessible for residents in both counties and is highly visible.”

CLEVELAND – Alvin H. Schmaier, MD, Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has been appointed to the prestigious Robert W. Kellermeyer, MD, Chair in Oncology.

The Kellermeyer Chair was established in 1993 to honor Dr. Kellermeyer’s 40-plus years of dedicated service to UHCMC. Dr. Kellermeyer, an outstanding clinician and major contributor to medical education, is a Case Professor Emeritus of Medicine.

CLEVELAND – Margaret Hewitt has been appointed Vice President of Construction at University Hospitals. In this new position, Ms. Hewitt, an architect with more than 15 years of experience in project analysis and management, will be responsible for all construction management activities and projects within the University Hospitals (UH) system and will take the lead role in the construction phase of all Vision 2010 master facilities projects

Ms. Hewitt brings to UH a wealth of experience in managing large, complex multi-site construction projects. She has managed over 1,400 new construction/renovation projects at nearly 600 facilities and prepared/managed five-year budgets exceeding $3.5 billion. At UH, she will develop a centralized system level construction management organization which will facilitate standards for construction, policies and procedures for construction management and enable the UH branding program through the various physical plants and new facilities UH is currently developing. Her span of control and responsibilities will include all hospitals, ambulatory centers and non-clinical facilities owned or leased by UH.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals of Cleveland has received a $1 million gift to advance pulmonary and critical care medicine. The S. Darwin Noll Clinical Discovery Fund in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, in Honor of Hugo D. Montenegro, MD will support and stimulate clinical research and education in pulmonary medicine.

S. Darwin Noll, of Beachwood, Ohio, and Palm Beach, Florida, is the Chairman of Cardinal American Corporation. He has owned the Independence-based manufacturing company for over 50 years. Mr. Noll has served on the boards of Vocational Guidance Services, Youth Opportunities Unlimited at the Cleveland Health Museum, the Achievement Center for Children, St. Vincent Charity Hospital, the Jewish Community Federation, the Cleveland 500 Foundation and the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine are part of a nationwide research study to determine the safety and effectiveness of a new smallpox vaccine geared toward adults ages 18 to 34 who have never been vaccinated against the disease. The study is the first of its type in Northeast Ohio.

The current FDA-approved vaccine, Dryvax^®, is not recommended for use on everyone because of the potential for serious side effects in certain individuals. “For example, the current vaccine cannot be used in immune-compromised individuals, such as patients with HIV or individuals with certain skin conditions such as eczema,” says Robert A. Salata, M.D., chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and UHCMC.

CLEVELAND – A $17.6 million clinical trials contract was recently awarded by the National Institutes of Health to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Robert L. Findling, MD, Professor of Psychiatry & Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at University Hospitals Case Medical Center.

With site selection now complete, The Collaborative Lithium Trials, also known as “CoLT,” will begin with a series of studies that will examine the safety and efficacy of lithium in the treatment of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder. The results of the nation-wide study will provide the most comprehensive analysis of lithium treatment in children and adolescents to date. Administered by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), an arm of the NIH, the nationwide study is the first of its kind and the results will provide the most comprehensive analysis of lithium treatment in children and adolescents to date.

CLEVELAND – A national non-profit association seeking to raise the standards of protection for medical research participants has given full accreditation to University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP) accredits organizations that can demonstrate they provide participant safeguards that surpass state and federal requirements.

Through the intensive accreditation process, organizations demonstrate that extensive safeguards are built into every level of their research operation. AAHRPP standards exceed federal regulations in two ways: the protections for research participants that the federal government requires only for federally sponsored or regulated research are extended to all research, plus AAHRPP requires additional protections, such as conflict-of-interest rules and community education. Accreditation is valid for three years. UH becomes one of 66 organizations nationally with full AAHRPP accreditation.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals (UH) announced today that its subsidiary, University Hospitals CompCare, has been awarded Full Case Management Accreditation from URAC, a Washington, DC-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry. URAC’s Case Management Accreditation standards require companies to establish a process to assess, plan and implement case management interventions.

UH Compcare is a state-certified workers’ compensation managed care organization (MCO) that provides medical management and cost containment services to employers and their injured employees and assists in facilitating a safe and healthy return to work. Additionally, UH CompCare provides medical case management for all University Hospital injured employees.

CLEVELAND –- University Hospitals (UH) is awarding its highest philanthropic honor to Monte Ahuja and his family. The award is being presented on the evening of the same day that UH is breaking ground for the Ahuja Medical Center, a new 600-bed hospital located in Beachwood, Ohio, named in recognition of the $30 million gift the Ahuja family committed to Vision 2010, UH’s $1.2 billion strategic plan. The Samuel Mather Award, named for one of UH’s earliest supporters, celebrates the exceptional generosity and civic vision of benefactors who have had a lasting and profound impact on University Hospitals.

“Monte Ahuja and his family completely encompass the spirit of philanthropy. Their unprecedented support for UH and our Vision 2010 plan demonstrates their commitment to the economic vitality of this region and to maintaining the highest caliber healthcare for the people of Northeast Ohio,” said Thomas F. Zenty III, CEO, University Hospitals.

CLEVELAND – The University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) has been awarded the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence. The Beacon Award is given by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) and recognizes the nation’s top hospitals critical care units. UHCMC’s MICU is the only one in the nation to receive this distinction over three consecutive years.

University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s MICU is recognized as a Beacon Award winner due to the unit’s commitment to the highest quality standards in nurse recruitment and retention, patient outcomes, staff training, healthy work environments, leadership and evidence-based practice and research. Last year, the MICU was the only northern Ohio recipient of the Beacon Award.

CLEVELAND – The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a research center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center a $6.37 million award to establish a Center of Research Translation (CORT) for the skin disease psoriasis.

This is one of the largest grants ever given to a medical institution in the United States for the study of psoriasis.

CLEVELAND – Rosalie and Morton A. Cohen have contributed $1.5 million to University Hospitals to establish the first chair in lung cancer. The Cohens’ gift honors Nathan Levitan, MD, Chief Medical Officer of University Hospitals and lung cancer expert. Renowned lung cancer researcher and physician, Afshin Dowlati, MD, Co-Leader, Developmental Therapeutics Program and Director, Thoracic Oncology at the UH Ireland Cancer Center will be the first chairholder.

Rosalie Cohen, an 18-year cancer survivor and longtime patient of Dr. Levitan, decided to establish this Chair along with her husband, Morton, in honor of her physician and gratitude for her cancer care at the Ireland Cancer Center. “The care I have received from Dr. Levitan and the entire Ireland Cancer Center staff has been outstanding,” she says. “I am so grateful to the entire lung cancer team for their personalized care.”

CLEVELAND – Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center researchers have recently made great strides in stem cell gene therapy research by transferring a new gene to cancer patients, via their own stem cells, with the ultimate goal of being able to use stronger chemotherapy treatment with less severe side effects. Under this protocol, MGMT, a drug-resistance gene, is added into purified hematopoietic stem cells to protect these cells from the damage of chemotherapy regimens.

In one of 24 presentations by Ireland Cancer Center researchers at the annual American Society of Hematology meeting, Stanton Gerson, MD, and colleagues presented that eight patients were enrolled on the trial and six were infused with their own stem cells which were engineered to carry the MGMT gene. In three patients, stem cells carrying the gene were identified in their blood or bone marrow. In one patient, stem cells carrying the gene were detected up to 28 weeks after their administration. This significant finding has never been reported before with this gene and drug combination.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Board of Directors has announced that Thomas F. Zenty III, Chief Executive Officer, University Hospitals, has agreed to serve as the health system’s leader for an additional five years, through December 2012.

Monte Ahuja, Chairman of the UH Board of Directors, said, “I join my Board colleagues in underscoring our support for Tom and his community focused, dynamic and results-driven leadership of our health system. We look forward to working with him over the next five years to continue the momentum he has established for creating a healthier community in Northeast Ohio, an integral part of our vision for University Hospitals in 2010 and beyond.”

Since joining University Hospitals (UH) in 2003 as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the health system, Mr. Zenty has worked closely with the Board of Directors, system leadership team, employees and community leaders to build a strong foundation for University Hospitals that will ensure the delivery of the highest quality patient-centered healthcare in Northeast Ohio and the nation.

CHICAGO – Use of calcium-channel blockers, alpha-blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors appears to offer no advantages in improving clinical outcomes compared with use of diuretics when treating hypertension among individuals with metabolic syndrome, according to a report in the January 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. This appears particularly true for black patients.

Patients with hypertension (high blood pressure) and metabolic syndrome are at high risk for the complications of cardiovascular disease, according to background information in the article. The metabolic syndrome was defined as hypertension plus at least two of the following factors: diabetes or pre-diabetes; a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30; high triglyceride levels; or low levels of high-density lipoprotein (“good” cholesterol). Because some medications for high blood pressure (including alpha-blockers, ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers) have a favorable metabolic profile—for instance, have more favorable short-term effects on blood glucose or blood cholesterol levels—they have been advocated over other drugs (beta-blockers and diuretics) for the treatment of patients with metabolic syndrome.

Jackson T. Wright Jr., M.D., Ph.D., of University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, and colleagues analyzed data from the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT).

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Corporate Health has been chosen to provide comprehensive work-related healthcare services to the Lincoln Electric Co., the worldwide leader in the field of welding and cutting products. Lincoln Electric employs more than 3,000 people at its headquarters and operations in Euclid and a plant in Mentor, Ohio.

Under the agreement, a University Hospitals (UH) physician and nurse practitioner will be located part-time at Lincoln Electric directing all facets of occupational health for the company from post-offer testing and exams, OSHA-mandated surveillance, respiratory exams, wellness and prevention programs, ergonomic risk evaluations along with the coordination and case management of external medical provider services.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Medical Practices (UHMP) is on the leading-edge of introducing a new technology to make time in the waiting room a lot less boring and a more entertaining, educational, and productive experience. At two UH locations, patients have a chance to try out the new InfoSlates, which are thin, handheld computer devices that let patients connect to the Web, check out their email, look up biographical information about their doctors, learn more about procedures, and complete medical histories and questionnaires.

Scott Zimmer, M.D., Medical Director of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery for UHMP, is an adviser for the company that has developed InfoSlate. He was introduced to InfoSlate’s president and developer, Kyle Piechucki, by a mutual friend.

Piechucki, now a father of two who lives in Oyster Bay, N.Y., had grown tired of the waits he had to endure when taking his kids to the doctor. He got the idea of InfoSlate to relieve the tedium.

CLEVELAND – Robert B. Daroff, M.D., the Gilbert W. Humphrey Professor and former chairman of the Department of Neurology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University, will receive the 2008 A.B.Baker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Neurologic Education from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The award is among the most prestigious that a neurologic educator can receive.

Dr. Daroff has been recognized for his national and international contributions to neurologic education. He will receive the award during the AAN’s 60^th Annual Meeting being held from April 12 through 19 in Chicago.

CLEVELAND – Minority-health advocate, esteemed physician and beloved educator Edgar Jackson, M.D., of University Hospitals Case Medical Center, received the Crystal Stair Award, the highest recognition given by the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, on March 27 in Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Jackson was the fourth recipient ever of this award designed specifically for the commission. The Crystal Award will recognize his significant accomplishments in the field of medicine and the uplifting of minority people.

“You have walked with Kings and kept the common touch. The respect of your colleagues and the community serve as testimony to your expertise, compassion, dedication and commitment,” wrote Cheryl A. Boyce, M.S., Executive Director of the Commission on Minority Health, in a letter informing Dr. Jackson of the award earlier this month. The Ohio Commission on Minority Health was established in 1987 to fund innovative, culturally sensitive projects designed to reduce the incidence and severity of diseases or conditions impacting minority populations.

CLEVELAND – Cathy A. Sila, M.D., has joined the Neurological Institute at University Hospitals Case Medical Center as the Director of the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center. She also holds the rank of Professor of Neurology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

UH’s Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center treats the largest number of stroke patients in Northeast Ohio. The center offers an unparalleled breadth of experience and innovation for the care of patients with complex conditions.

Prior to joining the medical staff of UH, Dr. Sila was a staff neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) and Cardialysis BV, based out of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, today announced that the companies have the intention to found Cardialysis Cleveland to provide combined clinical drug development and medical imaging services to clients that are developing therapeutics or medical devices for cardiovascular indications in world wide studies.

University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s Heart & Vascular Institute is dedicated to breakthrough medical advancements and practices to deliver superior cardiac and vascular clinical outcomes. A world renowned team of physician investigators has been assembled to capitalize on the basic science and biotechnology tradition of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The Cardiovascular Imaging Core Lab is leading the development of novel imaging technologies, such as OCT (optical coherence tomography) and cardiac MRI, and applied methodologies for clinical trials.

The system was developed over the course of 20 years through a joint research effort of physicians and engineers, primarily at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University and Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, all located in Cleveland. NeuRx DPS ^TM is manufactured commercially by Synapse Biomedical, Inc., based in Oberlin, Ohio.

CLEVELAND – Today, the Saint Luke’s Foundation announces a $916,000, 10-year “transformational” grant to the University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s (UHCMC) Department of Orthopaedic Surgery to create the Timothy L. Stephens, Jr., MD, Orthopaedic Fellowship. This unique fellowship program is designed to increase the number of African-American, Latino and Native American medical students pursuing careers in orthopaedic medicine.

The fellowship grant, the Saint Luke’s Foundation’s eighth transformational initiative, will be formally announced today at 10 a.m. at the University Hospitals Otis Moss, Jr. Health Center, 8819 Quincy Avenue in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND – John C. Haugh feels he was given a second chance at life when he was saved by Dr. Alan H. Markowitz, co-chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC). Dr. Markowitz performed a coronary artery bypass graft and a “maze” procedure to help eliminate and cure his atrial fibrillation.

His first magnanimous show of appreciation came in 2006, when Mr. Haugh, the co-founder of ColorMatrix in Berea, gave a leadership gift to launch the UHCMC’s Heart Valve Center and help fund new physician recruitment, research and technology.

CLEVELAND – The Neurological Institute at University Hospitals will create a new endowed chair in neurological outcomes research with major gifts from the Brown Family of Cleveland, the Louise H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation in Shaker Hts., Ohio, and from Leigh H. Perkins of Vermont. The new chair will be instrumental in developing one of the first neurological outcomes centers in the United States to measure the effectiveness of treatments for patients with neurological conditions.

The Brown Family and the Ingalls Foundation are contributing $750,000, while Mr. Perkins, CEO of Orvis Company, is giving $250,000. These gifts will be matched with a $500,000 grant from the George M. Humphrey II Challenge to establish the endowed chair to be named in honor of the late Willard W. Brown, a Cleveland businessman, former UH board member, and friend of both Mr. Humphrey and Mr. Perkins.

CLEVELAND – Two major University Hospitals Vision 2010 building projects have been honored with prestigious architecture awards. The UH Ahuja Medical Center has received the Modern Healthcare Design Award and the UH Cancer Hospital has been recognized with the American Architecture Award by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.

CLEVELAND – As a result of his endless contributions to spine surgery–in clinical practice, research and teaching–Henry H. Bohlman, MD, Director, University Hospitals Spine Institute, will be honored with an endowed chair in his name, The Henry H. Bohlman, MD, Chair in Spine Surgery, at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC).

The Henry H. Bohlman, MD, Chair in Spine Surgery is a $2.2 million endowed chair that will allow UHCMC to remain at the forefront of clinical care, research and education. As a testament to the respect Dr. Bohlman has garnered, his former spine fellows and residents worldwide contributed $1.2 million to the endowment. Additionally a $1 million contribution came from The Spine Research and Education Foundation.

CLEVELAND – Three significant medical research projects to be conducted at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University have been awarded 2008 grants from the Pilot Award Core of the overall Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC).

These 2008 grants are among seven local research projects to receive funding from the Pilot Award Core given by the CTSC, a collaboration between CWRU, UH Case Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth Medical Center. Pamela Davis, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the CWRU School of Medicine, is the CTSC principal investigator. The group received a $64 million grant in September 2007 from the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Research Resources and part of that grant was a charge to make these annual pilot awards to fund clinical studies in translational science.

CLEVELAND – Research out of the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center has found that the vast majority of triple negative breast cancers express the MUC-1 target. This first-of-its-kind finding, presented today at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, has paved the way for an upcoming vaccine trial for patients with early stage triple negative breast cancer that could potentially prevent recurrence of this aggressive type of breast cancer.

Joseph Baar, MD, PhD, Director of Breast Cancer Research at the Ireland Cancer Center, and colleagues analyzed 53 tumors and determined that 92 percent of them expressed MUC-1.  These findings support their theory that this MUC-1 protein on breast cancer cells could be a target for a novel vaccine using the patient’s immune system to target and kill cancer cells.

CLEVELAND–University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s adult endoscopy unit is one of 56 units in the country to be recognized by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) for promoting quality in endoscopy. UH Case Medical Center is the only hospital in Ohio to receive this elite honor.

The new ASGE Endoscopy Unit Recognition Program honors endoscopy units that follow the ASGE guidelines on quality assurance, privileging, endoscopy reprocessing and Centers for Disease Control infection control guidelines.

CLEVELAND – The Robert S. and Sylvia K. Reitman Family Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, has made a $1.5 million commitment to University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

The commitment, which is designated equally to the two institutions, will establish the Robert S. and Sylvia K. Reitman Family Foundation Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Innovation at Case Western Reserve’s Cardiovascular Center and University Hospitals Harrington-McLaughlin Heart & Vascular Institute.

The gift honors Daniel I. Simon, M.D., the Herman K. Hellerstein Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve and Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at UH Case Medical Center. Dr. Simon's research focuses on inflammation in vascular injury and repair. The family foundation was inspired by Dr. Simon’s work to promote the translation of cardiac research into patient care.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Case Medical Center is ranked prominently among the top hospitals in the country in six specialties in U.S. News & World Report’s latest hospital rankings. The hospital joins an elite group of 174 hospitals – less than three percent - out of nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide to be named to the magazine’s annual “America’s Best Hospitals” edition.

UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital also ranked second in the nation for newborn care and on eight out of ten pediatrics specialties in the issue. These “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” rankings were published online last month by U.S. News.

CLEVELAND – Researchers from the Memory and Cognition Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center will begin testing an intriguing new approach to slowing down the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) using Intravenous Immune Globulin (IGIV), also known as gammaglobulin. IGIV is traditionally used to treat primary immunodeficiency disorders, but is not currently approved for treating AD, which is one of the leading causes of dementia in the elderly. 

Initial research in experimental models and patients suggests that immunotherapy targeting beta amyloid (the protein that forms the core of plaques in the brain) may provide a more effective way to treat AD. Antibodies that bind to beta amyloid are present in IGIV, which is made from the blood of several thousand healthy adults. 

One of the hallmarks of AD pathology is an abundance of beta-amyloid deposits in the brain. While it is not yet known if beta amyloid plaques cause AD or are a byproduct of the disease, scientists are interested in finding ways to reduce the toxic effects of beta amyloid on the brain. Antibodies against beta amyloid may do so by binding to toxic forms of beta amyloid, thereby neutralizing them and/or promoting their elimination.

CLEVELAND – Researchers from University Hospitals Case Medical Center report promising results from a cutting-edge research study that treated the aggressive brain tumors glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) using a novel type of imaging called MR spectroscopy coupled with high dose radiation in the form of Gamma Knife radiosurgery. 

Patients’ survival rates increased by almost four months (3.7 months) compared with patients who were treated with traditional conventional radiotherapy alone.

“The four month increase is quite significant as the median survival of patients treated with conventional radiotherapy alone is only one year,” said Douglas B. Einstein, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study and Vice Chairman and Clinical Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Case Medical Center is one of 12 sites conducting the first Phase 2 clinical trial of a gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).  The study uses a viral-based gene transfer system called CERE-110, which is designed to deliver nerve growth factor (NGF) into the brain. University Hospitals (UH) is the only site in the Midwest for the study.  The study is sponsored by a contract to Case Western Reserve University from the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) through a grant from the National Institute on Aging in association with Ceregene, Inc., which developed and will provide the active agent CERE-110.

NGF is a naturally occurring protein that may prevent nerve cells in the brain from dying and may help these cells function better.  During the study, CERE-110 will be injected by a neurosurgeon into the nucleus basalis of Meynert, an area of the brain where nerve cells die in patients with AD.

On Monday, Feb. 1, NBC's Today show will be broadcasting from the University Hospitals Case Medical Center campus. NBC's health correspondent, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, will interview University Hospitals Harrington-McLaughlin Heart & Vascular Institute's Dr. Mauricio Arruda as he conducts minimally invasive surgery from the state-of-the-art Stereotaxis Lab in Lerner Tower.

Dr. Arruda will be guiding a magnetic catheter into a patient's heart to treat her atrial fibrillation – the most common cardiac arrhythmia. The live appearances for the show are expected to take place near 7:30 a.m., 8:10 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. NBC is shown on the local affiliate station WKYC TV 3.

CLEVELAND – A $1 million donation to University Hospitals from the Fergus family of Avon, Ohio has created the Mary D. Fergus Endowed Chair in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Terrence Fergus and his family made the gift in honor of his wife, Mary, for her many years of dedication as a neonatal nurse. The chair will be held by a physician leader in the Maternal-Fetal Care Center at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and UH MacDonald Women’s Hospital. The Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital Foundation provided a $500,000 match to the Fergus family’s $1 million gift. 

“It is a great pleasure to give a gift in honor of my wife, Mary, for her many years of dedication, caring for the sickest of babies,” said Mr. Fergus. “Mary and I will always be grateful for the care our son received from Dr. Fred Rothstein many years ago. With this gift, we are able to show our appreciation to those in positions like Mary and Dr. Rothstein.”

CLEVELAND – Michael M. Lederman, M.D., and Michael R. Jacobs, M.D., Ph.D., from University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, have been elected to Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology.

CLEVELAND – Researchers have shown that ranibizumab (Lucentis) eye injections, often in combination with laser treatment, result in better vision than laser treatment alone for diabetes-associated swelling of the retina.

Laser treatment alone has been the standard care for the past 25 years. But nearly 50 percent of patients who received this new treatment experienced substantial visual improvement after one year, compared with 28 percent who received the standard laser treatment. The study involved 52 clinical sites, including University Hospitals Eye Institute, within the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net), supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

University Hospitals Case Medical Center cardiologists have uncovered new research showing an increased risk of cancer with a group of blood pressure medications known as angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs).

This class of drugs is used by millions of patients not only for high blood pressure but also for heart failure, cardiovascular risk reduction and diabetic kidney disease.

University Hospitals Harrington-McLaughlin Heart & Vascular Institute’s Drs. Ilke Sipahi, Daniel I. Simon and James C. Fang recently completed a meta-analysis of over 60,000 patients randomly assigned to take either an ARB or a control medication. Their findings are published online today at The Lancet Oncology.

Clinical Study to be conducted from University Hospitals Case Medical Center

CLEVELAND – July 19, 2010 – Cynthia Owusu, MD, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University and geriatric-oncologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, the School’s primary affiliate, has received nearly $500,000 from Susan G. Komen For the Cure to fund a novel three-year study aimed at improving outcomes for older women with newly-diagnosed breast cancer.

Recent gains in life expectancy coupled with aging as a risk factor for breast cancer makes breast cancer a disease of older women. While breast cancer mortality rates are declining among women less than 70 years of age, they have either remained stable or increased among the oldest women with breast cancer.

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s Reinberger Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (NSU) has earned the prestigious Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence. This is a top honor from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses recognizing nursing excellence. 

The NSU joins four other intensive care units at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) which have been recognized with Beacon Awards:  Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU); Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU); Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).  The MICU is the only ICU in the nation to have received this honor consecutively for five years and the SICU has received it three times.

“Having five intensive care units recognized with this award is truly a national distinction and high praise for the excellence of our nurses,” said Fred C. Rothstein, M.D., President of UHCMC.  “Exceptional nursing care has always been a cornerstone of UHCMC, and we’re proud to see a national organization validate their superior work.”

CLEVELAND – Ronald E. Dziedzicki, RN, Chief Support Services Officer for University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center, and a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, has been promoted to the elite rank of Brigadier General effective Oct. 9, 2010. He is now assigned as a Deputy Commanding General for the 3^rd Medical Deployment Support Command, Fort Gillem, Ga. 

“My nomination and confirmation to the rank of Brigadier General demonstrates the achievement of a significant career goal and my drive to continue to move forward in my military career,” said Dziedzicki. “This achievement also reflects the values that I live each and every day: Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. These values are and continue to be a vital element of my success.”

Dziedzicki has 26 years of service to the U.S. Army Reserves and was most recently serving as the Commander, 307^th Medical Brigade, Columbus, Ohio.  He comes from a military background.  His father was a retired Colonel U.S. Army who served overseas in WWII and in Korea, 44^th Combat Engineer, and his mother was an Army Nurse Corps Officer, who served in WWII with the 127^th General Hospital.

Cleveland, Ohio - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Ohio Department of Aging have chosen McGregor PACE to manage the local Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in Cuyahoga county.