News & Events
Whole Foods Market Supports The Miller School's Ear Institute
10/9/2007
Whole Foods Market, a Miller School corporate partner, recently opened a new store in Coral Gables. The grand opening included a bread breaking ceremony where Whole Foods executives, with the help of donors, presented the UM Ear Institute with a check for $20,000 to help deaf and hearing impaired children in Miami. "We thank Whole Foods for their dedication and commitment to the deaf and hard of hearing in our community," said Fred F. Telischi, M.D., F.A.C.S., director of the University of Miami Ear Institute and vice chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology, who accepted the check.
Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick, Whole Foods Market staff, UM faculty and donors all gathered for the event on Sept. 26.
Sherilyn Adler; donor, Robert Lefkowitz; donor, Thomas J. Balkany M.D. ; Chairman of the department of Otolaryngology, Dr. Fred F. Telischi, Lyle Stern; donor
UM Neurology Chair Publishes Stroke Study Findings in <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em>
8/28/2008
New findings from the largest secondary stroke prevention study ever conducted will help physicians determine the medications most likely to prevent second strokes in their patients. Two original articles that detail the findings from the Prevention Regimen for Effectively avoiding Second Strokes (PRoFESS®) trial have been published online by The New England Journal of Medicine.
“Preventing a second stroke is vitally important as a recurrent stroke is the most feared outcome of every stroke survivor and frequently more disabling than the first stroke,” said Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., professor and chairman of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and one of three co-chairs of the study. “This is why it is so important that we find the best medication or combination of medications that will reduce the risk of recurrent stroke. PRoFESS® is the first trial to directly compare the efficacy and safety of two antiplatelet agents.”
The first article details the findings of a double-blind trial that compared aspirin and extended-release dipyridamole to clopidogrel for preventing recurrent stroke. More than 20,000 recent ischemic stroke patients were enrolled in the study at close to 700 medical centers in 35 different countries and were followed for an average of two-and-a-half years.
The participants were randomly assigned to receive either 25 milligrams of aspirin plus 200 milligrams of extended-release dipyridamole twice daily, or 75 milligrams of clopidogrel daily.
“We found no evidence that either of the two treatments was superior to the other in the prevention of recurrent stroke,” said Sacco. “Even though in science you always strive to find a superior treatment, in this case it gives us options for treatment depending on the patient and their response to the different medications.”
In the second article, the researchers detailed their findings when they initiated early blood pressure lowering with telmisartan after a stroke. The same patients in the antiplatelet arm of the trial were randomized to receive either the angiotensin II receptor blocker or placebo.
Elevated blood pressure is the most important modifiable risk factor for stroke and recurrent stroke, and the researchers wanted to determine if using a newer blood pressure medication for a relatively short time would reduce the risk of a recurrent stroke.
“We did not see a clear effect overall in the reduction of recurrent stroke; however, we did see a delayed effect after six months of therapy,” said Sacco. “This suggests that there may be a role for angiotensin II receptor blockers in stroke prevention if the medication is continued for a longer time period.”
Top South Florida Heart Surgeon Moves Practice to University of Miami Health System
8/25/2008
One of South Florida’s top heart surgeons is moving his practice to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to join the rapidly growing cardiovascular powerhouse at the University of Miami Health System (UHealth). Donald B. Williams, M.D., is leaving Mount Sinai Medical Center on Miami Beach after 19 years and bringing his two partners to be part of the UHealth team.
William O’Neill, M.D., executive dean for clinical affairs, says the Miller School is “excited and pleased to welcome the most recognized and experienced cardiothoracic surgery practice in South Florida to the University of Miami Hospital.” O’Neill, a renowned interventional cardiologist, says incorporating Williams and his team into the UM faculty “will be a major pillar in a growing and superior cardiac center. Their expertise, in addition to the other great talent we have assembled, will quickly place the cardiac program at University of Miami Hospital among the nation’s top-tier programs.”
Signing on Williams and his colleagues is another major building block as the Miller School and University of Miami Health System establish a formidable center of excellence in cardiovascular clinical care and research. Programs already in place and growing are interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, and diagnostic imaging at University of Miami Hospital. In addition, acute stroke intervention, heart failure and transplantation will be expanded in partnership with Jackson Memorial Hospital. The Miller School’s Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute has also opened two clinical trials using stems cells to repair damaged hearts.
In his 19 years at Mount Sinai, Williams has gained a reputation as one of the top cardiac surgeons in the area. His specialties are coronary bypass, valve repair and aortic surgery. Williams has published a number of studies in such journals as the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. He has ongoing studies in prosthetic valve replacement and mitral valve repair, and has published authoritative studies on coronary bypass and valve replacement in the elderly.
Williams, who will be a professor of medicine at the Miller School, says he is moving to the University of Miami Health System because of the opportunity “to be involved with a new hospital and its development as a top-notch tertiary cardiac care facility.” His clinical practice will be based at University of Miami Hospital.
Joining him is Roger G. Carrillo, M.D., who will be an associate professor of medicine. In his nearly 16 years at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Carrillo has distinguished himself as an expert in surgical electrophysiology. His specialty is laser lead extraction, using a catheter-based technique for removing infected or fractured leads in cardiac pacemakers. A longtime investigator of cell phone-pacemaker electromagnetic interference, Carrillo has published nearly three dozen abstracts and studies in renowned medical journals such as The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Andres Medina, M.D., a cardiothoracic surgeon who emphasizes minimally invasive approaches, is moving from Mount Sinai with his colleagues because of the “exciting opportunity” he sees at the University of Miami Health System. Medina is one of the few surgeons in the area performing thoracoscopic lobectomy, a procedure using laparoscopic instruments on a viewing monitor to remove an entire lobe of the lung, without opening the chest. It can be performed on select lung cancer patients. The procedure, which Medina will be performing at University of Miami Hospital, means smaller incisions and quicker recovery for patients.
Medina, who has been at Mount Sinai for two years, sees UM as a “fertile environment for further developing cardiothoracic surgery” because of the caliber of physicians already onboard. After doing his residency and fellowship at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, Medina says coming back as an assistant professor is a “homecoming of sorts.”
Alan S. Livingstone, M.D., professor and chairman of the DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, is enthusiastic about having the three surgeons join the UHealth System. “This continues to build on the longstanding relationship we have had with them as they have been involved with training our cardiothoracic fellows since they started practicing in Miami.”
The three physicians are bringing much of their support staff when they begin their new practices at University of Miami Hospital on September 15th. New and existing patients should call 305-243-2363 or 1-800-432-0191 to schedule an appointment.
Drug Discovery By University of Miami Experts Will Lead To Better Treatments For Kidney Disease
8/24/2008
Nephrology physician-scientists at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have discovered a critical pathway of a commonly used immunosuppressant drug, cyclosporine. The finding, made by Peter Mundel, M.D., professor and director of the Miami Institute of Renal Medicine, Christian Faul, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, and Jochen Reiser, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, will make it possible to identify drugs that hold the benefits of cyclosporine in treating kidney disease, without its long-term ill effects.
The discovery has been published in the September issue of the premiere research journal Nature Medicine.
The scientists, who recently left Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School to join the Miller School, have shown a completely new mechanism for the reduction of urinary protein loss by cyclosporine A (CsA). Cyclosporine A is known as an immunosuppressant drug used in organ transplantation for its ability to inhibit T cell function through the inhibition of calcineurin signaling. It is also used in kidney disease to treat patients who have protein in the urine, a condition that is, among others, a serious risk for cardiovascular death.
In many kidney diseases, it is common to see the dysfunction of podocytes, cells that live in the lining of the kidney which are responsible for filtering protein. When the podocyte function breaks down, there is a massive loss of protein in the urine, a condition known as proteinuria.
For many years, scientists believed that cyclosporine’s antiproteinuric effect centered on its ability to shut down the signaling of T cells, just as it does as an immunosuppressant. Instead, the research by the three UM scientists and nine other researchers indicates that cyclosporine works as an antiproteinuric due to its direct effect on the podocyte actin cytoskeleton.
“Our research shows a new mechanism,” says Mundel, the study’s principal investigator. “This finding has big clinical implications.” He explains that scientists now have a new avenue for finding new drugs that avoid the side effects of long-term use of cyclosporine in treating kidney disease, which can include the loss of kidney function itself.
Mundel says doctors often don’t understand how prescribed drugs actually work on patients. “This study not only describes the mechanism of cyclosporine in the kidney,” says Mundel, “it also sheds light on the pathogenesis of proteinuric diseases in general, suggesting that the immune system is much less important for this type of disease than anticipated.” Mundel says this understanding has great potential to treat proteinuria. Most importantly, synaptopodin, a protein Mundel has been working on for more than two decades, was found in this study to be a direct target of cyclosporine. This discovery will allow researchers to develop novel antiproteinuric drugs that avoid the serious side effects of long-term CsA treatment.
This is the second article from this new group of UM nephrologists published in Nature Medicine within eight months. In a previous study led by Reiser (Wei et al. Nat Med. 2008 Jan; 14(1):55-63.), they showed that functions of podocytes can be directly modified in a positive way by novel experimental drugs, a discovery that could lead to patient use very soon.
Reiser sees these two studies as solid building blocks for their work ahead. “We have found that these new discoveries will allow us to find new drugs to treat proteinuria and more effectively help our patients in the near future,” says Reiser. The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension recently established the Miami Institute of Renal Medicine, which houses a Drug Discovery Center that will focus on the development of kidney-specific drugs. “We are very excited to be here,” says Reiser, “working in a team effort to turn our research into practical applications that benefit patients.”
UM Hospital Thanks Teen Volunteers for Service at “Come Grow with Us” Luncheon
8/20/2008
In her trademark hat, this one pink and trimmed in silver sequins, state Senator Frederica S. Wilson captured the attention of her audience at University of Miami Hospital, including the 25 teenagers she was there to recognize and praise.
The teens work alongside mentors at University of Miami Hospital as part of the “Come Grow with Us” volunteer program, which develops leadership and professional skills in young people and encourages them to pursue a career at the hospital. At the luncheon and awards ceremony on August 15, Wilson and UM Hospital leadership thanked the teens for their service and dedication.
“You should all be proud of yourselves,” said Wilson, a Miami Democrat who works closely with the hospital in her role as founder of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, a dropout prevention intervention program for young “at risk” boys.
“Every day we turn on the news and we find our youth in compromising positions. You’ve steered yourselves away from that and you’ve been given an opportunity to set your goals and follow your dreams.”
She said she receives calls every day from parents, teachers, and community workers who are disturbed about today’s youth. “I’m going to spread the word that I know a group trained by Sonia Martinez at University of Miami Hospital that is going to make a positive impact on the community,” she said.
Martinez, director of consumer relations and volunteer services, developed the program in 1995. In addressing the group, she highlighted the success stories of former volunteers Lorena Zeledon, Joanna Torres, Michael Jacques, Yadira Vanegas and Vallejo Vanessa, who now work at the hospital.
Hospital CEO Anthony Degina presented the Diamond Teen Awards for excellent service to Julian Joseph, a senior at North Miami High School who volunteers in the ER and Israel Ugalde, a senior at Hialeah Senior High School who also worked in the ER.
“The spirit and enthusiasm young folks bring is important to our organization,” said Degina. “If you plan to have a future in health care, we hope it’s here at University of Miami Hospital.”
Awards for the most volunteered hours went to Jacqueline Lozano, a junior at Coral Gables High School, for 107 hours of service in the child care department, and to Michelle Perez, an eighth-grader at Pioneer Middle School, who served 226 hours in regulatory compliance and safety.
Eighteen-year-old Edwin Ruel, who began volunteering in 2004, received top honors and a scholarship of $1,000 from UM Hospital’s Auxiliary, a volunteer committee for adult community members led by president Craig Rogowski.
“I came here as a little kid, and now I’m the teen coordinator for the program,” said Ruel, who also received the program’s Certificate of Merit at the event. “When I started, Sonia told us she would give us the key to success and it will be up to us to open the door. I believe I got the key.”
