CLEVELAND, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies today announced the election of Eric J. Topol, M.D., to its prestigious membership. Dr. Topol, Chief Academic Officer of the Cleveland Clinic and Provost of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, of Case Western Reserve University, was selected on the basis of his professional achievement and his demonstrated interest, concern and involvement with problems and critical issues affecting public health.
The Institute of Medicine, established in 1970 as a unit of the National Academy of Sciences, is broadly based in the biomedical sciences and health professions, as well as aspects of the behavioral and social sciences, administration, law, the physical sciences and engineering. It is concerned with the protection and advancement of the health professions and sciences, the promotion of research and development pertinent to health, and the improvement of healthcare. Members of the Institute are expected to maintain and exemplify the highest standard of scientific integrity.
“Eric Topol is an extraordinary clinician, scientist and teacher,” said Toby Cosgrove, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Cleveland Clinic. “His appointment to the Institute of Medicine is well-deserved recognition of his significant efforts to unlock the secrets of heart disease and improve people’s lives.”
Dr. Topol, who also is Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Cleveland Clinic and Professor of Medicine and Genetics at Case Western Reserve University, has extensive professional and academic achievements. He is Program Director for the NIH-supported Specialized Center of Clinically Oriented Research (SCCOR) on the molecular basis of coronary artery disease. Dr. Topol has been elected to the American Association of Physicians, the American Society of Clinical Investigation, and the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Physicians, and the European Society of Cardiology. He has been recognized by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) for being in the top 10 (No. 8) of cited biomedical researchers in medicine (1993-2003), and he is ranked first by Science Watch among authors of high impact papers in cardiovascular research (1993-2003).
Dr. Topol’s work on the genomics of coronary disease led to the discovery of the first gene mutation (MEF2A deletion) linked to coronary disease and heart attack (Science, 2003). His work on the genetics of coronary heart disease has also received recognition with the Silver Medal and Gruentzig Lecturer of the European Society of Cardiology (2004), as a top 10 research advance by the American Heart Association, and as the Clinical Research Innovator Award of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in 2001. The cardiology program he directs in Cleveland has been ranked No. 1 in the United States by U.S. News & World Report for the past 10 years.
Dr. Topol has served as chairman and principal investigator for more than 15 international multi-center randomized clinical trials, including the five GUSTO trials, the largest heart attack studies ever conducted, and many others, with cumulatively more than 200,000 patients enrolled. He was the first physician to administer recombinant t-PA, 2 different platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (abciximab and eptifibatide), and a novel anticoagulant (bivalirudin) to patients with coronary artery disease. The results of these large-scale trials, involving 40 countries around the world, have substantially changed our approach to patients with heart attack and coronary artery disease.
Currently Dr. Topol serves on the editorial board for more than 20 peer- reviewed medical publications including Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, American Journal of Cardiology, Heart and the European Heart Journal. He has created more than 900 original publications and edited 18 books, including the Textbook of Interventional Cardiology (1st through 4th editions) and the Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, the third edition now in preparation.
Dr. Topol lives in Chagrin Falls with his wife, Susan. They are the parents of two children, Sarah and Evan.
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 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 1,200 full-time salaried physicians at The Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2003, patients came for treatment from every state and nearly 90 countries. The Cleveland Clinic website address is http://www.clevelandclinic.org/ .
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
CONTACT: Alicia Sokol, +1-216-445-9661, or Lisa Murphy, +1-216-444-7935,both of The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Web site: http://www.clevelandclinic.org/