2011 Annual Report - Summa Health System

Dr. Penn’s leadership in the clinical
research enterprise
and believes
Dr. Penn acts
as a mentor and
facilitator with
other physicians
to engage, lead
and conduct
further research
that ultimately can
change the course of care, specifically
for cardiology patients.
“Summa Health System is one of 19
centers in the country doing a Phase
II trial for stem cell therapy in patients
who suffered a recent myocardial
infarction to demonstrate these stem
cells will cause regeneration of that
heart muscle, one that previously was
thought to be dead and unsalvageable,”
said Dr. Berkovitz. “We are enthusiastic
and optimistic about the opportunities
that lie ahead for our patients, the
communities we serve and Summa.”
The commitment to research and
the results obtained from the studies
demonstrate Summa’s promise to
maintain a leadership position in the
future of medicine.
Yet there is
another factor that
distinguishes Summa
Health System from
other healthcare
institutions.
“What sets
us apart,”
said Dr. Berkovitz, “is the
collaborative effort among all
the cardiovascular physicians
throughout the continuum
of care. By reviewing quality
metrics and developing
strategic programs that allow
us to implement advanced
evidence-based practices,
we truly are a multifaceted,
multidiscipline unit. With Dr. Penn
and his team of researchers, I believe
our clinical research enterprise has the
opportunity to be as robust as any
medical center in the country.”
Dr. Walter Horton, vice president,
Office of Research and Sponsored
Programs for NEOMED, concurs
and believes within the next five to
10 years “the collaboration among
Summa Health System, NEOMED
and other organizations in Akron,
Ohio’s ‘biomedical corridor’ will create
jobs, attract physician and scientific
talent, generate more funding and
most important, dramatically improve
healthcare delivery models for the
people in the region.”
Our patients,
their families,
members
of the
communities
we serve
and the
institutions
with whom
we partner
have every reason to be optimistic about
the transformative research currently
conducted at Summa Health System.
It is for them we serve – and our
promise to honor.
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