The University of Nebraska Medical Center will hold its Third Cardiovascular
Research Symposium, Feb. 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the UNMC Eppley
Science Hall Amphitheater. The symposium is targeted toward health care
professionals.
More than 2,600 Americans die each day of heart disease, according to
the American Heart Association, and claims more lives each year than the
next seven leading causes of death combined.
Advancements continue to be made in the research of cardiovascular disease.
From 1985 to 1995 the death rate from heart attack declined 28.7 percent,
according to the AHA. The purpose of the symposium is to highlight the
diverse cardiovascular research projects and advancements at UNMC.
The keynote speaker will be Hani N. Sabbah M.D., Ph.D., director of
cardiovascular research laboratories at the Henry Ford Heart and Vascular
Institute in Detroit. The focus of his research is heart failure.
Dr. Sabbah is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American
College of Chest Physicians and American Heart Association Councils on
Circulation and Arteriosclerosis. He has served and continues to serve
on numerous scientific committees that include the Scientific Executive
Committee of the International Society of Heart Failure, Program Committee
of the Heart Failure Society of America and Grants-in-Aid Committee of
the Mid-American Consortium of the American Heart Association.
The UNMC Department of Pathology and Microbiology and Abbott Diagnostics
will offer information about a relatively new screening test for heart
disease and arteriosclerosis that will soon become standard.
Sam Pirruccello, M.D., director of the Nebraska Health System
specialty laboratory, said the test requires a simple blood draw and evaluates
levels of an amino acid, called homocysteine, that can signify risks associated
with heart disease.
The test is now used with patients who have arteriosclerosis or who
have a family history, Dr. Pirruccello said. We think this is going to
become the standard screening tool along with lipid and cholesterol screenings.
For more information about the conference, please call (402) 559-4152.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has
established itself as one of the countrys leading centers for cancer research
and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $34 million in
research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually.
In addition, UNMCs educational programs are responsible for training more
health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.