Letter from the Director
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| Raymond L. Benza, MD Director, Center for Research and Innovation Director, Advanced Heart Failure, Transplantation, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Pulmonary Hypertension Program The Gerald McGinnis Cardiovascular Institute |
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For centuries, scientists and physicians
alike have sought to better understand
how and why the heart and blood
vessels become prone to disease. From
the 17th century, when doctors first
learned how blood circulates through
the body —
to 1816, when
the stethoscope
was invented —
to the late
1960s, when
echocardiography
was
introduced as
an important
diagnostic tool — medicine
has steadily
advanced its
knowledge of
cardiovascular
disease.
Now, more than
ever, there is
greater urgency
in unlocking the
mysteries of the
cardiovascular
system. Cardiovascular disease is the
leading killer in the United States,
claiming more than 1 million lives each
year. In addition, cardiovascular disease
is a major cause of disability and greatly
diminishes the quality of life for
countless individuals.
Despite this mounting public health
challenge, medicine is closing in on
better defining the causes and cures of
many cardiovascular diseases. Indeed,
it is through cardiovascular research
that millions of lives are being saved
each year.
Some of the most advanced work in
cardiovascular research is taking place
at West Penn Allegheny Health System’s
Gerald McGinnis Cardiovascular Institute
(CVI). Building on more than a
century of innovation at Allegheny
General Hospital, CVI researchers are
leading the way in the development
of new devices, medications and
technologies that are revolutionizing
care for patients across the spectrum
of heart disease. At the heart of our
mission is this pledge:We believe that
being at the vanguard of cardiovascular
care means not accepting the state of the
art, but constantly striving to reinvent it.
Our burgeoning research program spans
a diverse range of investigative areas,
including: basic, translational, clinical,
surgical and imaging research.Whether
they are developing technology-driven
devices and interventional strategies to
better manage cardiovascular disease, or investigating how molecular biology and
genetics impact the heart and arteries,
all of our researchers are focused on one
common goal: finding novel approaches
that will translate into therapies
improving patient outcomes.
With the establishment of a state-of-the-art
research facility, CVI is now poised
to undertake an even more ambitious
platform of cardiovascular study. Not
only will this new center facilitate a
robust assortment of research studies,
but it will also support the training of
students, residents and fellows, as well
as physicians seeking to expand their
scope of knowledge of cardiovascular
disease.
The opportunities for making breakthrough discoveries in cardiovascular
research have never been greater.We
look forward to developing a new
generation of diagnostic and treatment methodologies that promise to expand
patients’ opportunities for improved
cardiac health — and foster a better
quality of life.
