News

Dr. William Magee, founder and chairman, Operation Smile, lectured on "The Power of Medicine" as part of the Visiting Professor Series.

Dr. Magee as #MastersOfSurgery @montefiorenyc w/ Dr. Joseph Shin & Dr. Steve Libutti @slibutti @operationsmile twitter.com/RMichlerMD/sta…

— Robert Michler (@RMichlerMD) March 4, 2013

Robert Michler, M.D., professor and chairman, Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Montefiore, and co-director of The Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care, provides context around obesity and heart disease given Chris Christie’s recent comments about his health.

Robert Michler, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chairman of Department of Surgery, delivers the annual report of the Department of Surgery at Montefiore.

Highlights for the Dept. of #Surgery incld NSQIP Exemplary Award, #liverTransplant Survival rates, 33 clinical trials with surgeons as PI.

— Robert Michler (@RMichlerMD) February 4, 2013

Steven Libutti, M.D., vice chairman of Surgery and director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, comments on a study that appears to confirm that targeting DNA alone is not enough to develop effective cancer treatments.

Robert Michler, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chairman of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, discusses new technology used at Montefiore and a small number of other hospitals to count sponges used in surgery and prevent them from being left inside patients.

Dr. Duke Cameron, chief, Division of Cardiac Surgery, The John Hopkins Hospital, lectured on "Progress in Aortic Root Surgery" as part of the Visiting Professor Series.

Dr. Duke Cameron Chair @hopkinsmedicine talking about aortic root aneurysms in heart #MastersOfSurgery twitter.com/RMichlerMD/sta…

— Robert Michler (@RMichlerMD) December 3, 2012

Chelation Therapy
Twitter Chat  November 5, 2012 

Robert Michler, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chairman of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, chats about a controversial alternative treatment for heart patients.

Summary re the study: #Chelation therapy is on the horizon, and always will be. #HealthTalk

— Robert Michler (@RMichlerMD) November 5, 2012

Dr. Ira Fox, Director, Center for Innovative Regenerative Therapies, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, lectured on "Alternatives to Organ Transplantation for Patients With Life-Threatening Liver Disease" as part of the Visiting Professor Series.

Thank you Dr. Fox for the grt lecture on Alternatives to #OrganTransplantation 4 pts w/ #LiverDisease #MastersOfSurgery twitter.com/RMichlerMD/sta…

— Robert Michler (@RMichlerMD) November 5, 2012

Evan Garfein, MD, attending physician, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and member of the Breast Cancer Program team at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, discusses how more needs to be done to educate underserved women in New York about their reconstruction options following breast cancer surgery. Dr. Garfein authored NY state legislation adopted in 2010 that requires physicians and hospitals to inform breast cancer patients of their right to have reconstructive surgery.

Lisa Wiechmann, MD, breast surgical oncologist, Breast Cancer Program, Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, was interviewed on the Spanish-language program Dialogo Abierto with her patient, Victoria Ramos, about the importance of early detection and treatment for breast cancer.  Dr. Wiechmann discussed Victoria’s case and factors women should be aware of, notably the importance of having digital mammography for the most accurate assessment of breast health.

Robert E. Michler, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, and chiefs of surgical divisions introduce the exciting field of surgery to medical students.

A new text messaging program at Montefiore Medical Center is aimed at helping Bronx residents take better care of themselves, and each other.

In 2012, Montefiore's surgical specialists were recognized regionally as top doctors in the annual listing of New York Magazine's Best Doctors listing.

Joseph H. Shin, MD, FACS, Chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,  comments on statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons which show that chin augmentation is the fastest growing plastic surgery trend, especially among baby-boomers. Dr. Shin surmises that this could be a reflection of a more competitive workplace, as older people try to obtain jobs in a tight market.

Cover story about the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care regional chemotherapy team with quotes from Steven Libutti, MD, Vice Chairman of Surgery and Director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, Katia Papalezova, MD, surgical oncologist, Maureen George, MSEd, BSN, RN, OCN, CNOR, and Venetia Plagianos, RN, CNOR, patient care coordinator, surgery.

Article about first live liver donor transplant at Montefiore with quotes from Sarah Bellemare, MD, transplant surgeon who performed the surgery on the donor, Paul Gaglio, MD, Medical Director, Liver Transplant Program, Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation, and Pat McDonough, RN, CCRN, CCTC, CPTC, Live Donor Transplant Coordinator. Also mentioned were Milan Kinkhabwala, MD, Chief, Division of Transplantation, Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation, who performed the surgery on the recipient, and Lisa Johnson-Berger, NP, CCTC, Liver Transplant Coordinator..

Diego Camacho, MD, Director, Minimally Invasive and Laparoscopic General Surgery, interviewed about bariatric surgery as an option to help combat obesity..

No Easy Answers When Treating Neuroendocrine Tumor
New York Times  October 31, 2011

Steven K. Libutti, MD, Vice Chairman of Surgery and Director of Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, discusses the questions doctors face when a patient is diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumor, the rare type of pancreatic cancer that claimed the life of Apple founder Steve Jobs.

Milan Kinkhabwala, MD, Chief, Division of Transplantation, Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation, was quoted about the importance of being tested for Hepatitis C.

Montefiore Medical Center’s Surgical Assistant program recently came full circle. Not only did it celebrate the graduation of its 2011 class, it’s also looking back at 40 years since the program began.

Robert E. Michler, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chairman of the Departments of Surgery and Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, discusses risk factors and causes of heart attack among men and women.

 

Diego Camacho, MD, Director, Minimally Invasive and Laparoscopic General Surgery, and Jenny Choi, bariatric surgeon, were interviewed about the bariatric surgery case of Maria and Luis Beabraut and how this type of surgery can help combat obesity among Hispanics.

Evan Garfein, MD, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, comments on what women need to know about silicone breast implants following an FDA report on their safety issued this week.

Steven Libutti, MD, Vice Chair of Surgery and Director of the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Cancer Care, comments about a new policy statement issued by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recommending earlier end-of-life care discussions with patients who have advanced cancer. The ASCO statement is published in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Evan Garfein, MD, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, comments on reconstructive surgery after cancer in an ABCnews.com story about film critic Roger Ebert's new prosthetic chin.

Steven Libutti, MD, Vice Chair of Surgery and Director of the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Cancer Care, discusses his role in developing nanoparticles that will target unique aspects of the blood vessels found in pancreatic cancer.

Steven Libutti, MD, Director of the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Cancer Care, professor and vice chair of surgery and professor of genetics at Einstein and Montefiore, and associate director for clinical services at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center, discusses the latest research in cancer growth and spread.

Robert E. Michler, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chairman of the Departments of Surgery and Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, discusses a new study that suggests more than 20 percent of patients who received implantable cardiac devices never needed them in the first place.

CNN American Morning
CNN The Situation Room

Robert E. Michler, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, discusses the detection and treatment of aortic aneurysms.

Diego Camacho, MD, Director of Minimally Invasive and Laparoscopic Surgery, is among a select few in the U.S. to perform natural orifice surgery through the mouth to relieve acid reflux. The procedure allows for a fast recovery and is scarless.

Read the press release.

Steven Libutti, MD, Vice Chair of Surgery and Director of the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Cancer Care, discusses advances in nanotechnology that may enable safe delivery of toxic anticancer compounds to tumor sites.

Richard Smith, MD, Vice Chairman, Otorhinolaryngology, and Evan Garfein, MD, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery were interviewed about a novel robotic tongue reconstruction they performed on a Long Island man who's mouth was damaged by radiation therapy for throat cancer.  

Steven Libutti, MD, Vice Chair of Surgery and Director of the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Cancer Care, discusses breakthroughs in cancer screening and treatment, on GE's HealthyImagination blog.

For people with advanced cancer, dying at home rather than the hospital results in higher quality-of-life scores at the end of life, and may be easier on the patients' caregivers as well.

No matter what you may do to prepare yourself, being told that a lump is indeed breast cancer is always a shock. And before you have time to think straight, you're plunged into a sea of new information and difficult decisions. Although you may feel very alone, you're not: The road to good treatment is well traveled. Our guide will steer you through these tough times.

While breast reconstruction after a mastectomy is covered by insurers in New York, many poor, minority, and less educated women do not seek out the procedure.  Now, NY Gov. David A. Paterson has signed into law a bill that is aimed at reversing this trend. The new law came about largely through the efforts of Dr. Evan Garfein.

Read the press release.

Outside investigators could pay to use the NIH Clinical Center's state-of-the-art resources. Dr. Steven Libutti discusses what this proposal would mean for clinical trials.

Our surgeons are recognized year after year in the annual listing of New York Magazine's top physicians.

Juan Farias, 32, of Middletown, N.Y. was born with a rare genetic enzyme deficiency in his liver that made a heart condition worse, causing heart failure. It was the first time the procedure has been used in the US to treat Farias' rare medical condition.

NY1 News

Celsion Corporation announced that it will initiate a Randomized Phase II Study of Lyso-Thermosensitive Liposomal Doxorubicin (ThermoDox®) and Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) for Colorectal Liver Metastases (CRLM). Dr. Steven K. Libutti will serve as Principal Investigator for the study.

Maryann Steinbock has a new lease on life thanks to the coordinated efforts of police in New York City and Nassau County. In the midst of a day-long winter storm the 59-year-old learned her year-and-a-half wait for a donor liver was over. Now, she just had to get from her Atlantic Beach home on Long Island to Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, immediately.

NY Daily News

Two years after a battle with thyroid cancer robbed him of the ability to speak, film critic Roger Ebert is showing the world how the unexpected twist in his life story only strengthened his voice.

Dr. Robert Michler, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chairman of the Departments of Surgery and Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, discusses former President Bill Clinton's heart procedure and and how doctors insert stents into his artery.