Newswise — Philadelphia, March 14, 2013— Paul M. Weinberg, M.D., F.A.A.C., a pediatric cardiologist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, received the 2013 Distinguished Teacher Award from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) on March 11 at its national conference, ACC.13, in San Francisco.

This annual award recognizes a fellow of the ACC for “innovative, outstanding teaching characteristics and compassionate qualities” resulting in “major contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine at the national and/or international level.”

As director of the Fellowship Training Program in Pediatric Cardiology at Children’s Hospital for the past 22 years, Dr. Weinberg has exerted an important influence on innumerable pediatric cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. Dr. Weinberg conducts weekly teaching conferences on cardiac morphology (heart structure) and has frequently lectured on that topic at national and international meetings. He has made extensive contributions to the scientific literature, including numerous chapters in prominent cardiology textbooks.

A member of the CHOP medical staff since 1977, Dr. Weinberg also is a professor of Pediatrics and of Pediatric Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

He has previously received the Robert Dunning Drips Award for excellence in graduate medical education from Penn, the Blockley-Osler Teaching Award, and a Teacher of the Year Award from Children’s Hospital. His other honors include the CHOP Cardiac Center Alumni Achievement Award and the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Achievement Award.

In addition to Dr. Weinberg, several other physician-researchers from the Cardiac Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia participated in ACC.13. They presented new findings:

• Victoria L. Vetter, M.D., and colleagues reported on a survey of 53 parents of youths who suffered sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The study reinforced the importance of primary and secondary prevention efforts, such as the availability of automatic external defibrillators, in addressing this condition.

• David J. Goldberg, M.D., and colleagues analyzed the outcomes and risk factors in 751 children who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in support of their treatment for single-ventricle physiology, a high-risk heart defect.

• Andrew C. Glatz, M.D., led a research team that studied perioperative and clinical factors associated with systemic-pulmonary arterial collateral flow, an abnormal type of blood circulation, in children with single-ventricle heart defects.

About The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation’s first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children’s Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 516-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.