News Releases

CLEVELAND – Nine out of the 12 startup projects that last fall won funding from Ohio Opioid Technology Challenge came together on Jan. 18 at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center to share their ideas, provide feedback to each other, and look for opportunities for collaboration.
 
The companies were hosted by UH Ventures, UH’s innovations and ventures arm, in a program called “Startups vs. the Opioid Crisis.” It was the first program in UH Ventures’ new Health Voyagers series.
 
Each company made a 12-minute presentation about its technology projects that have the potential to help curb increasing rates of opioid-related addiction, overdoses, and deaths.
 
“Today’s event advances our efforts to build and scale the technologies needed to mitigate the tides of the opioid epidemic,” explained Eric Beck, DO, MPH, an emergency physician and President of UH Ventures. “We need platforms like this to connect with each other, learn from each other, and find creative ways to work together, especially in the face of one of the most devastating health crises of our time.”
 

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals recently announced Mukesh K. Jain, MD, has been appointed the new Chief Academic Officer for University Hospitals (UH). In this role, Dr. Jain will report to Daniel I. Simon, MD, President of UH Medical Centers.
 
As Chief Academic Officer (CAO), Dr. Jain will lead the academic efforts of UH and provide oversight for the full spectrum of research that includes basic and translational as well as clinical and population research. In addition, he will oversee educational efforts including graduate medical education, continuing medical education, undergraduate medical education and community education.
 
“Over the past two years, Dr. Jain has played a pivotal role in the development and implementation of University Hospitals’ academic strategic plan,” said Dr. Simon, President - UH Medical Centers. “I am very pleased to have such a distinguished international leader in science and medicine take over as CAO and direct our efforts to advance our national leadership in research and translational medicine moving forward.” 

CLEVELAND – The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, today announced the 2019 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award recipients. The projects supported by the awards include new therapeutics to treat metabolic disorders, autoimmune disorders and cancer, and new approaches to eradicate parasitic diseases in developing countries.
 
The Harrington Discovery Institute—part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development—is designed to translate science of great promise into therapeutics that can impact human health. Award recipients whose research demonstrates innovation, creativity and the potential to impact standards of care in medicine are selected from institutions across the U.S.  In addition to financial support, the Harrington Discovery Institute provides expertise and oversight in all aspects of drug development.
 
“Every year we see novel and creative approaches for treating major unmet medical needs. This year was no exception. The 2019 Scholar-Innovator class represents an exciting portfolio of drugs-in-the-making with potential to significantly improve human health. We are honored to support these extraordinary physician-scientists,” Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, President of the Harrington Discovery Institute.
 
The selected scholars have access to several rounds of capital (up to a total of $700,000) through their affiliation with the Harrington Discovery Institute to support the transition of their work into the private sector. Scholars are then free to approach investors of their choice to support the commercialization of their work. They also have facilitated access to BioMotiv, the mission-aligned development company that is part of The Harrington Project.
 
“Our new class of scholars was selected from a large pool of highly qualified individuals from across the U.S. With this year’s class, we have supported over 100 Harrington Scholars,” said Mukesh K. Jain, MD, Chief Scientific Officer of the Harrington Discovery Institute.
 
 

CLEVELAND – Richard Josephson, MS, MD, a University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center cardiologist, leads a national program to increase the knowledge and engagement of physicians regarding cardiac rehabilitation.
 
Dr. Josephson, and moreover, University Hospitals, is recognized as a national leader in the field. As a result, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) selected Dr. Josephson to organize, develop and implement a first-of-its-kind and transformational web-based educational program.
 
The effort is being backed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) via their important “Million Hearts” program, a government-funded organization trying to raise awareness about prevention and rehabilitation in an effort to lower the burden of cardiovascular disease and related death.

CLEVELAND – Heather Gornik, MD, has been named co-director of the Vascular Center at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute.
 
Dr. Gornik, a cardiologist and vascular medicine specialist, completed medical school at the University of Chicago followed by internal medicine, cardiology, and vascular medicine training at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston where she also served as chief medical resident. 
 
She is an internationally recognized expert in the care of complex vascular diseases, particularly fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), an uncommon disease of the arteries that can lead to narrowing, aneurysm and dissection.