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Cleveland Clinic Foundation Names Steven Nissen, M.D., Interim Chairman Of Its Department Of Cardiovascular Medicine

Published: Feb 14, 2006

CLEVELAND, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland Clinic announced today the appointment of Steven Nissen, M.D., as interim Chairman of the hospital's Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. Known internationally for his research into coronary artery disease, Dr. Nissen assumes his new role immediately.

"Steve brings a tremendous amount of medical expertise, experience and leadership to the department that will enable this world class program to continue on its path of excellence in research and clinical care," said Joseph Hahn, M.D., Chief of Staff at Cleveland Clinic. "We have a team of highly talented physicians and health care professionals in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery that, combined, have made this a tremendous resource for patients around the world."

A search committee will be appointed shortly to begin interviewing potential internal and external candidates, including Dr. Nissen, to select a permanent Chair to lead the Clinic's renowned Department of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Dr. Nissen joined Cleveland Clinic in 1992. He has served as Vice-Chairman of the Department of Cardiology (1993-2002), Section Head of Clinical Cardiology (1992-2000) and Director of the Coronary Intensive Care Unit (1992- 1997). Most recently, he served as Medical Director of the Cleveland Clinic Cardiovascular Coordinating Center (C5), an organization that directs multi- center clinical trials.

"I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead a department comprised of extraordinarily talented physicians. During the past 14 years, I have developed intense loyalty to the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic, an institution that sets the standard for excellence in cardiology and cardiac surgery," Dr. Nissen said.

Dr. Nissen currently serves as President-elect of the American College of Cardiology and will accede to office of President of ACC in March 2006. He has served the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as Chairman of the CardioRenal Advisory Panel for four years and continues to advise several FDA Committees as a Special Government Employee.

An accomplished author, Dr. Nissen has written more than 250 journal articles, book chapters, and CD-ROMs, mostly in the field of cardiovascular imaging. He was one of the pioneers in the development of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), a type of high-resolution imaging. The technology has been the basis for his research during the last decade. In particular, Dr. Nissen developed the methodology for application of IVUS in the assessment of the progression and regression of coronary atherosclerosis. Dr. Nissen is currently the principal investigator for several large IVUS atherosclerosis trials.

Dr. Nissen received his medical degree from the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor and completed his internal medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Davis in Sacramento. He completed his cardiology fellowship at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington.

Facts about Cleveland Clinic Department Cardiovascular Medicine: - Publishes more medical research, from more individual cardiologists, in more prestigious medical journals than any department in the world. - Is the national leader all forms of cardiovascular imaging technology including: - Echocardiogram - Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) - Multidetector CT (setting international standards of use for this cutting edge technology) - Has the world's largest experience in the widest range of implantable heart devices, left-ventricular assist devices, and advanced artificial heart technology. - Treats one of the nation's highest volume of cardiology patients, at high levels of case acuity, giving it unmatched experience in all expressions of heart disease, from the most common cardiac problems, to unusual conditions that most other centers see rarely, if at all. - Is the world's leading center of non-surgical treatments for atrial fibrillation through its comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation Center. - Is home of the Kaufman Center for Heart Failure, the most comprehensive treatment and research center for this condition in the world. Facts about Cleveland Clinic Cardiologists: - Work side by side with Cleveland Clinic cardiac surgeons, who are recognized as the most advanced, most technically adept, and most clinically successful in the world. - Achieve a mortality rate in interventional procedures that is 30 percent BELOW the national average. - Lead in the endovascular treatment of conditions formerly requiring open heart surgery, such as: - Repair and replacement of diseased heart valves. - Treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart) - Congenital defects like atrial septal defect and patent foramen ovale

The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine is part of the Cleveland Clinic Heart & Vascular Institute, which has been ranked No. 1 in the United States by U.S. News & World Report for the past eleven years.

The Cleveland Clinic, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a not-for-profit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. The Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. U.S. News & World Report consistently names The Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. Approximately 1,800 full-time salaried physicians at The Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2004, patients came for treatment from every state and 100 countries. The Cleveland Clinic website address is www.clevelandclinic.org.

Cleveland Clinic

CONTACT: Eileen Sheil, +1-216-444-8927, or Michelle Bolek,+1-216-444-0333, both of the Cleveland Clinic

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