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Driven to Stop Health Disease through Research, Education and Prevention1

2007:
2007: A Year of
BY PAUL
Accomplishment KURLANSKY, M.D.

and Promise

s the year draws to a close and we think about all the tasks we have before
us, it is always wise to look in both directions: to the past to appreciate
Aall that we have been able to accomplish and to the future to understand
how much more remains to be done. This process is no different for us at the
Florida Heart Research Institute. Our core mission of stopping heart disease
through research, education and prevention, is a somewhat daunting one. Not
only is the goal, no matter how noble, an extremely challenging one, but the
approach is somewhat difficult to quantify.
Cardiovascular disease accounts for nearly one million deaths each year, and,
as such, remains the leading cause of death in America. However, the task before
us, although extremely ambitious, is not insurmountable. Due to the research
findings of the past several years, mortality in men and women has been on the
steady decline. Moreover, due to research, we now know that, to a very large
degree, the atherosclerotic process which accounts for the majority of heart dis-
ease is, to a very large extent, preventable.
Research and education, however, are both very difficult to quantify. Research
in the most skilled of hands, grinds along at a slow and methodical pace, inter-
mittently accelerated by remarkable breakthroughs and insights which sudden-
ly propel the field to a new level—a new level of slow and methodical endeav-
or. Education and Prevention are similarly unpredictable. Any teacher will tell
you that he/she never knows the full impact of his/her educational efforts. The
rare student may come back years later, thankful for his/her remarkable accom-
plishments, all of which can be directly attributed to the education received.
This, unfortunately, is the exception rather than the rule.
Despite these many limitations, it is fair to say the FHRI has enjoyed many
notable research achievements in the past year:
• FHRI research into the hormones of heart failure has yielded a novel thera-
py which is now entering clinical trials
• FHRI studies of bone marrow stem cells have started to elucidate the medi-
ators and control mechanisms related to heart attack
• FHRI has organized a new initiative to study the genetics of sudden cardiac
death
• FHRI studies have demonstrated new mechanisms of myocardial protection
• FHRI has launched a national follow-up study comparing surgery and PCI
for coronary heart disease
• FHRI has launched a major study to assess cardiovascular risk in Miami’s
Hispanic population
• FHRI published studies defining the long-term quality of life of patients
undergoing valvular heart surgery
• FHRI completed data collection on the largest long-term study ever per-
formed on the use of the internal mammary artery in coronary bypass sur-
gery
The accomplishments in the field of education and prevention have been no less
substantial:
• FHRI has performed cardiovascular screenings for thousands of participants
with outreach increasing each year
• FHRI has launched a unique and innovative community-based program of
education and prevention in the Pan-African community of Miami-Dade
County
• FHRI has completed a year-long community based health initiative for eld-
erly residents of Miami-Dade County
• FHRI has begun a unique program of corporate wellness, focusing on the
small to mid-sized businesses of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties
• FHRI’s STOP HEART DISEASE license plate has heightened the awareness of
heart disease throughout the state and continues to gain in popularity
• FHRI lectures and teaching sessions have reached hundreds in the medical
and lay communities
Despite these accomplishments, we at FHRI feel as though the job is just
beginning. Each accomplishment, whether it be in research, in education or in
prevention, brings with it an opportunity for further efforts, and thereby defines
the agenda for our future.
Dr. Paul Kurlansky, board certified cardiothoracic surgeon, Director of Research at
the Florida Heart Research Institute, can be reached at (305) 674-3154 or
pak@floridaheart.org.

28 December 2007 hospitalnews.org South Florida Hospital News