One of the leading experts in the country in stroke and neurovascular disease, Pierre Fayad, M.D., will make three presentations in Atlantic, Iowa, on July 20.
Dr. Fayad, the Reynolds Centennial professor and chairman of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Neurological Sciences, will speak once at Heritage Center and twice at Cass County Hospital.
The speaking engagements include: 1-2 p.m. – at Heritage Center for residents of the center as well as several community organizations; 3-4 p.m. at Cass County Hospital for the hospital auxiliary and a stroke support group; and 6-7 p.m. at Cass County Memorial Hospital for medical, nursing and emergency staff.
Dr. Fayad was named the National American Heart Association Physician of the Year in 2009. He serves as the chairman of the American Stroke Association Advisory Committee.
Dr. Fayad is director of Neurological Sciences and the Stroke Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC’s hospital partner. In 2008, The Nebraska Medical Center was ranked among America’s best 50 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in two categories – cancer and neurology/neurosurgery.
In addition, The Nebraska Medical Center has been recognized by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association for the past two years for being among the top hospitals in the nation in following evidence-based guidelines for treating patients with stroke.
The stroke center at The Nebraska Medical Center was the state’s first and is currently Omaha’s only nationally certified stroke center dedicated to the prevention and management of stroke. The stroke center has received the “Gold Seal of Approval” from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations for the past four years.
Prior to coming to UNMC in 2001, Dr. Fayad served on the Yale University faculty for 10 years. A native of Lebanon, Dr. Fayad can write and speak fluently in four languages. He earned his medical degree from the University of Rome in 1983, then completed his internship and neurology residency training at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Since joining UNMC, Dr. Fayad has built a new department of Neurological Sciences and recruited several neurology specialists with extensive training and skills. He has built subspecialty programs that greatly enhanced the capabilities of UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center to become a regional referral center and provide care to patients suffering from strokes, seizures, muscle and nerve disorders, brain cancer and degenerative disorders of the brain such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and dementia.
“The brain used to be a mystery,” Dr. Fayad said. “However, over the past two decades, there have been a tremendous number of advances made, especially with respect to imaging techniques and treatments for brain diseases. Nebraska is the fourth leading state in terms of the age of its population. Since many neurological diseases are associated with older age, it’s important that we provide Omaha, Nebraska and the surrounding area with state-of-the-art neurological care that is unsurpassed in the rest of the country.”
Stroke is the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. “It can dramatically affect our existence and that of our family and relatives,” Dr. Fayad said. “With a stroke, time lost is brain lost. Many people don’t understand how bad a stroke can be until it hits someone in their family. Strokes can be deadly and disabling and have a major societal impact on those who experience them.”
An active researcher, Dr. Fayad has over the years participated in more than 25 funded research projects, including some through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He brought to UNMC two major international trials for stroke prevention, including one that is ongoing and the largest-ever international trial for stroke prevention supported by the NIH.
He has written more than 70 book chapters and articles, including some in the most highly respected peer-reviewed medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and given numerous lectures, abstract and research presentations at scientific meetings nationally and internationally.
Among his extramural appointments, Dr. Fayad is a fellow of the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Neurology. He sits on the board of directors of the National Center and the Midwest Affiliate of the American Heart Association. He also serves as chairman of the American Academy of Neurology Section on Stroke and Vascular Neurology, the largest professional organization for neurologists.
With a reputation for excellence, innovation and extraordinary patient care, The Nebraska Medical Center has earned J.D. Power and Associates’ Hospital of Distinction award for inpatient services for four consecutive years. It is a US News & World Report 2008 “Best Hospital” for Cancer, Neurology and Neurosurgery. It also received the 2007 Consumer Choice Award, a mark of patient satisfaction as selected by healthcare consumers and has achieved Magnet recognition status for nursing excellence, Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals Performance Improvement Leader recognition, as well as the Award of Progress from the state of Nebraska’s Edgerton Quality Awards Program. As the teaching hospital for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, this 689 licensed bed academic medical center has an international reputation for providing solid organ and bone marrow transplantation services and is well known nationally and regionally for its oncology, neurology and cardiology programs. The Nebraska Medical Center can be found online at www.nebraskamed.com
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,600 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.