This month, University Hospitals (UH) Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute became the first hospital in the U.S. to use the new blood retrieval device ProCell®.
The Cardiometabolic Center Alliance (CMCA), founded by Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute is pleased to announce the addition of University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center as Key Strategic Partner and Charter Member. As a coalition that seeks to establish Cardiometabolic Centers of Excellence nationwide aimed at transforming the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and related cardiovascular (CV) and renal comorbidities, the CMCA considers University Hospitals (UH) a large integrated health system based in Cleveland, Ohio a key member of the Alliance.
Announcement of the 2021 Harrington UK Rare Disease Scholar Award recipients, their organizations and fields of research:
Pietro Fratta, MD, PhD – University College London
Gene Therapy for Kennedy’s Disease, a rare neuromuscular disease
Angela Russell, DPhil – University of Oxford
New Drugs for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Helen Waller-Evans, DPhil – Cardiff University
Novel Inhibitors to Treat Multiple Lysomal Storage Disorders, causes of widespread organ damage
Wyatt Yue, PhD – University of Oxford
Inhibitors of Primary Hyperoxaluria, a cause of kidney failure
Haiyan Zhou, MD, PhD – University College London
Novel Therapy for SPTLC1-Related Hereditary Sensory Neuropathy, a cause of shooting pain
A patient at UH Cleveland Medical Center received an AAV8-mediated gene transfer of human Ornithine Transcarbamylase. The infusion was well tolerated and patient was discharged without issue. The gene therapy is part of an international, multi-site trial sponsored by Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.
Announcement that University Hospitals in Cleveland received a quality score of 97.4 percent for the 2019 performance year, and will receive $9.1 million in shared savings from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Edward M. Barksdale, Jr., MD, Surgeon-in-Chief at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital (UH Rainbow), has been named president-elect of the American Pediatric Surgery Association (APSA). Dr. Barksdale will be APSA’s 53rd President, and will begin his one year term of service in May 2021.
University Hospitals has named Timothy P. Kasprzak, MD, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer of UH Ahuja Medical Center. Dr. Kasprzak will begin his new appointment on Monday, November 2, 2020.
Surgeons at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center have improved the prognosis of several cardiac patients after emergency FDA approval of a diaphragm pacing device.
University Hospitals has launched a new hospital price estimator tool which provides patients with information about their estimated out-of-pocket costs for the most shoppable common services and procedures.
A study out of University Hospitals found that removing the cost barrier for coronary artery calcium screening resulted in an immediate increase in utilization of the test.
Announcement of Nicholas C. Bambakidis, MD, Vice President and Director of the Neurological Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, recent election as President-Elect of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center is the first hospital in Ohio to receive the American Heart Association's four highest stroke care awards.
A variety of treatments exist to address heart disease, yet it continues to carry a poor prognosis. A new study from University Hospitals showed that a person’s address can help predict their chance of mortality from heart disease.
Announcement of University Hospitals plans to participate as a site for the Phase 2/3 global study sponsored by Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, “BioNTech”) of an investigational vaccine, BNT162b2, against SARS-CoV-2.
Air pollution is the world’s leading environmental risk factor, and causes more than nine million deaths per year. New research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows air pollution may play a role in the development of cardiometabolic diseases, such as diabetes. Importantly, the effects were reversible with cessation of exposure.
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s announced the launch of a new addition to the UH Healthy Restart Playbook offering: the UH Rainbow Healthy Restart Playbook for Reopening Schools. This comprehensive toolkit is designed to support K-12 schools as they consider options in educating our community’s children when they return to the classroom setting.
Announcement of national and international nominations being sought for the 2021 Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine, which honors a physician-scientist who has moved science forward with achievements notable for innovation, creativity and the potential for clinical application.
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center physicians completed evaluation for the GE Healthcare Critical Care Suite, and the technology is now in daily clinical practice – flagging between seven to 15 collapsed lungs per day within the hospital. No one on the team could have predicted the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this technology and future research with GEHC may enhance the capability to improve care for COVID-19 patients in the ICU. Critical Care Suite is now assisting in COVID and non-COVID patient care as the AMX 240 travels to intensive care units within the hospital.
Princess U. Ogbogu, MD, has been appointed Chief of the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. She comes to UH Rainbow from The Ohio State University, where she served as Director, Division of Allergy and Immunology, and Associate Professor of Medicine since 2016.
The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET), in collaboration with University Hospitals and The Ohio Manufacturing Alliance to Fight COVID-19, has developed a new, protective testing platform for health care workers assessing the spread of COVID-19. Health care experts at University Hospitals and UH Ventures, their innovation and commercialization division, believe these specially designed barriers could decrease the need for valuable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), speed up the testing process, and better protect frontline health care workers.
In a study published online in the journal American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM, physician-researchers from UH Cleveland Medical Center and Georgia State University project 52 COVID-19 related maternal mortalities in the United States this year.
A medical device based on technology developed by Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UH) has won a prestigious 2020 Edison Best New Product Award. EsoCheck, a device designed to help detect precancerous changes in the esophagus, was named a “Silver” winner of the 2020 Edison Best New Product Awards in the “Medical/Dental - Testing Solutions” subcategory.
University Hospitals in Cleveland is using masks made with a copper-infused fabric has been clinically validated to reduce the spread of hospital acquired infections such as C. Diff and MRSA. The masks are made by Cupron, Inc, a tech company that uses the properties of copper for healthcare and other uses.
More than $5 million in community giving is helping to support University Hospitals’ response to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. Contributions from community hospital foundations, totaling $2.25 million, and a $1 million clinical research grant from the Cleveland Foundation represent a significant portion of the funds contributed to date and will provide crucial, local-level support during the pandemic.
Synapse Biomedical, a spin out company from University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UH) and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), has received FDA approval for emergency use of its TransAeris Diaphragmatic Pacing Stimulator System to help wean any patient off of the ventilator including COVID-19 patients. Diaphragm pacing has the potential of freeing up ventilators as patients could be moved off of ventilators and placed on the pacing system.
Announcement from the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals of a new initiative that galvanizes its transatlantic network of academic institutions, foundations, and philanthropic partners to accelerate promising, near-term therapies to treat COVID-19 and its complications and battle future pandemic threats.
In advancing its portfolio of 120 drugs-in-the-making at 54 leading academic centers in North America and the U.K., HDI has developed a proven model that has enabled scientists in academia to accelerate their breakthrough drug discoveries toward trials in patients.
University Hospitals announced it will lead a clinical trial that involves the administration of an investigational drug, ARMS-I, to its caregivers working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trial, named the ARMS-I COVID Study, is designed to assess whether the drug helps prevent airborne transmission of coronavirus and whether it reduces the symptoms of healthcare providers who have tested positive for the virus.
An announcement that the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals is accepting letters of intent for the 2021 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award. The award offers inventive physician-scientists resources and expertise to advance their discoveries into medicines.
Announcement that University Hospitals in Cleveland has been recognized by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies.
University Hospitals (UH) has appointed Alejandro Rivas, M.D., to be Division Chief of Otology/Neurotology in the UH Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
He joins UH on June 1, 2020 from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., where he is Director of Endoscopic Ear Surgery
Dr. Rivas is one of the foremost pioneers of endoscopic ear surgery in the world. He has performed and taught endoscopic ear surgery and cochlear implant surgical approaches across the globe, including Colombia, Italy, Argentina, Japan, and Australia. This type of surgery results in less invasive procedures for patients with chronic ear disease.
Eric Beck, DO, was named the Chief Operating Officer responsible for East and West region community hospitals for the University Hospitals system in Northeast Ohio. Dr. Beck also will be responsible for the UH Physician Network, Ambulatory services, Accountable Care Organization, Chief Quality Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, Home Care and Ventures. Daniel Simon, MD, was named Chief Clinical & Scientific Officer and President, UH Cleveland Medical Center.
University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center (UH) is the first clinical setting in Ohio using special technology to identify harmful bacteria, leading to healing for patients suffering from chronic wounds. Windy Cole, DPM, Medical Director of the UH Ahuja Wound Care Center, conducted research studies utilizing the MolecuLight i:X® and is leading the use of the novel device in the state.
University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center treated its first patient in a new clinical trial to validate the groundbreaking effects of the poliovirus on glioblastoma (GBM), a deadly Grade IV cancer of the brain.
UH is the only Midwest site participating in this clinical trial, which was initiated at Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, NC. The original study, which ran from 2012-2017, was published in New England Journal of Medicine in July 2018 as well as highlighted on “60 Minutes” in 2015 and again in 2018. The study found that survival rates were significantly higher in glioblastoma patients who received an intratumoral infusion of a modified viral chimera combining the polio and rhinoviruses (PVSRIPO immunotherapy) compared to patients receiving standard treatment at the same institution.
Erika Hosey, a cardiovascular technician at University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, ended the year by giving a life-changing gift to a patient in need. While performing a routine cardiac stress test, she drummed up a conversation. She learned that her patient, Denise Butvin, had kidney disease and needed transplant surgery.
“Erika just blurted out…I’ll give you my kidney,” said Butvin. “I was in shock. I couldn’t believe this was real.”
While Butvin is a positive person, she has been through an emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs and on waitlists in Ohio and Pennsylvania for five years. Her family and friends were not an organ match. Both her sister and father were on dialysis for many years and passed away from kidney disease, so she knew how pressing this transplant surgery was.
Hosey started the process the next day, and after a few weeks of testing turned out to be a perfect donor match. “To be a kidney donor match for someone is really a shot in the dark,” she
Announcement of the 2020 class of Harrington Scholar-Innovators from the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, Class includes the institute’s first Canadian scholar. The grants support a range of drug discovery projects including novel therapies for treating Alzheimer’s, Prion disease, cancer, lung diseases, resistant tuberculosis, and rare genetic disorders.
Announcement of a new chair of the Department of Radiology at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center: Donna M. Plecha, MD, a nationally recognized expert in breast imaging.
News release about a new collaborative study led by Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals finding that commonly used clinical indicators of immune status and inflammation can predict mortality in the general population.
Announcement of the Rainbow Foundation making a generous gift of $34.5 million – the largest gift in University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s and the foundation's histories – to help ensure all children throughout Northeast Ohio have continued access to highest quality health care.