Newswise — Heitham Hassoun, MD, a leading international health expert, has been named vice president and medical director of Cedars-Sinai's Center for International Health. Hassoun joins Cedars-Sinai from Johns Hopkins Medicine, where he was medical director for Global Healthcare at Johns Hopkins Medicine International and an associate professor in the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
"Cedars-Sinai is a leading and dynamic academic medical center. In order to grow and thrive, we have to have global recognition," said Hassoun, 47. "I'm looking forward to working with the exceptional physicians, nurses and healthcare leaders here to build and grow international patient services and to maximize our impact at home and abroad."
Hassoun replaces Spencer Koerner, MD, who will retire at the end of the year after 41 years of service to Cedars-Sinai, including 22 years as vice president and medical director of International Health.
"We are very fortunate to have someone of Dr. Hassoun’s caliber join the Cedars-Sinai International Health team and carry on the extraordinary work of Dr. Koerner," said Richard B. Jacobs, Cedars-Sinai's executive vice president and chief strategy officer. "Dr. Hassoun brings a wealth of experience in global healthcare management, business development and medical direction for international projects and global partners in more than 20 countries."
The Center for International Health at Cedars-Sinai was created to harness technological advances that have facilitated communication among doctors around the globe. Physicians, scientists and researchers at Cedars-Sinai work with counterparts anywhere in the world, consulting, participating in interactive conferences and receiving patient files for rapid review by specialists.
As medical director of International Health, Hassoun said he would expand Cedars-Sinai's strong international profile in China, Mexico, Latin America and elsewhere, in part by tapping his extensive experience with facilities in the Middle East.
Previous to his work at Johns Hopkins, Hassoun served as medical director for Methodist International in Houston and was an associate professor of cardiovascular surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College In New York. He completed his fellowship training in vascular surgery at Northwestern University in Chicago and earned his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
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