Smidt Heart Institute Experts Available for Interviews During ISHLT Conference
Throughout the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Conference, Cardiothoracic Surgeons and Cardiologists Are Available to Comment
WHAT:
Cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai are available to discuss the latest advances in research, clinical care and surgery throughout the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Scientific Sessions 2023, taking place April 19-22 in Denver.
During the conference, the ISHLT also will recognize heart transplant cardiologist Jon Kobashigawa, MD, director of Advanced Heart Disease and the Heart Transplant Program in the Smidt Heart Institute, with the highly coveted 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award.
“I am honored and humbled to receive the ISHLT 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award, the most prestigious in the field of heart transplantation,” said Kobashigawa, the DSL/Thomas D. Gordon Chair in Heart Transplantation Medicine at Cedars-Sinai and chief medical officer of the California Heart Center Foundation, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai. “I share this award with all my colleagues who have dedicated their professional careers to saving the lives of countless patients with end-stage heart disease. I am awed to be included in the group of legendary leaders in our field who have also received the award.”
Read more about the award here.
WHO:
Among the experts from the Smidt Heart Institute who will be available for commentary is Joanna Chikwe, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery and the Irina and George Schaeffer Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Surgery. Chikwe can speak to a range of topics, including heart transplant surgical techniques and lung transplant survival data.
Other experts include:
- Heart and Lung Transplantation Surgery: Pedro Catarino, MD, director of Aortic Surgery; Dominic Emerson, MD, associate surgical director of Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support; Michael Bowdish, MD, vice chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery; and Dominick Megna, MD, surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program and surgical co-director of the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit.
- Heart Transplantation Medicine: Jon Kobashigawa, MD; and Jignesh Patel, MD, PhD, director of Heart Transplant Research and medical director of Heart Transplant.
- Heart Failure and Advanced Heart Disease: Michelle Kittleson, MD, PhD, director of Heart Failure Research and director of Post Graduate Medical Education in Heart Failure and Transplantation.
HOW:
Interviews can be conducted in person at the conferences, as well as using most virtual formats, including Zoom, FaceTime and Skype.
CONTACT:
Cara Martinez can help schedule your interview: 310-562-7821 or Cara.Martinez@cshs.org.
Follow Cedars-Sinai on Twitter for conference coverage at @CedarsSinaiMed.