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Contact: Jennifer Forbes
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
732-235-6356 or jenn.forbes@umdnj.edu
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Dedicates The Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey
Improving Heart Health in New Jersey through Research, Prevention, Treatment and Education
New Brunswick, NJ – The projected cost of heart disease and stroke in the United States was $331.8 billion, according to a 2007 report from the Center for Disease Control’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. This included disability, lost productivity and healthcare expenditures in addition to death. The growing need to prevent, not just treat, heart disease in the state resulted in the creation of The Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 2001 with a $10 million dollar grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The school dedicated new space today for the Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey in the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Clinical Academic Building, 125 Paterson Street, New Brunswick. A Scientific Symposium followed the dedication showcasing the latest in cardiovascular-related research conducted by faculty of The Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey.
The mission of The Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey is to improve heart health by pioneering integrative strategies to prevent, treat and cure heart disease; translate science and technology into new therapies; and train future leaders in cardiovascular medicine. Since its founding, The Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey has focused its research efforts on clinical research, cardiovascular pharmacology, disease management and biomedical engineering. Additional funding support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Schering Plough Foundation enabled development of the Myocardial Infarction Data Acquisition System (MIDAS), which has tracked more than 20 years of data on patients in New Jersey who have had a heart attack or stroke. MIDAS researchers recently began studying the incidence of stroke across the state. Thanks to the financial support of these organizations as well as many individuals, the Cardiovascular Institute has been able to bring together physicians and scientists, working in collaboration across multiple disciplines, to advance research for the benefit of patient care and education.
“The Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey's continuing development as a cardiovascular center of excellence reinforces its commitment to clinical research, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and education locally, across New Jersey and nationwide,” said John B. Kostis, MD, the John G. Detwiler Chair of Cardiology, chair of the department of medicine, and founding director of The Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Most importantly, it will improve access to increasingly sophisticated research-based care for all patients.”
Current research areas of physicians and scientists at the Cardiovascular Institute include: technology development in structural cardiology, use of stem cells to treat heart disease, development of interventional treatments for stroke, new methods for prevention of coronary artery disease, and new emphasis on long-term outcomes of heart disease through MIDAS. Through leadership of and participation in national and international clinical trials, Cardiovascular Institute faculty have defined how patients are evaluated and treated for diseases including angina, congestive heart failure, high cholesterol, and hypertension.
Looking toward the future, researchers at the Cardiovascular Institute have begun to identify genetic and environmental factors associated with heart disease, hypertension and stroke.
Consonant with the primary mission of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, opportunities to enhance academic programs underscore every facet of the Cardiovascular Institute’s growth and development. The integration of education and training into the program development at the Cardiovascular Institute distinguishes it. Institute faculty members are involved in all levels of pre- and post- doctoral education at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in addition to training programs for nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
The Cardiovascular Institute and its clinical partner, the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, are committed to advancing the medical standards of high-quality patient care through the full range of inpatient and outpatient services. The partnership that includes the leadership of the Cardiovascular Institute faculty, private physicians and, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, resulted in that hospital being ranked repeatedly among "America's Best Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report in heart and heart surgery. Further Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital was named one of the nation's top cardiovascular hospitals twice by Solucient.
The Cardiovascular Institute continues to advance Robert Wood Johnson Medical School's commitment to the indigent and underserved patients in the New Brunswick area through programs to promote cardiovascular health by decreasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. The Cardiovascular Institute’s community outreach activities include community lectures, convening statewide symposia on cardiovascular health prevention, and presenting medical education and other invited lectures.
About UMDNJ-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal affiliate, they comprise New Jersey’s premier academic medical center. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.
As one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with 2,800 full-time and volunteer faculty, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 22 basic science and clinical departments, hosts centers and institutes including The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway, and Camden, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, log on to rwjms.umdnj.edu. Find our fan page at http://www.Facebook.com/RWJMS and follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/UMDNJ_RWJMS.
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