Cardiothoracic Surgeons from the USA and Canada to Travel to Cuba for First Ever Academic Exchange

Members of the exclusive 21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgical Society will be travelling to Havana, Cuba to participate in the first joint academic exchange between the United States and Cuba.

(Graphic: Business Wire)

PORTLAND, Ore.--()--Next month, twelve members of the exclusive 21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgical Society (21CCSS), a United States-based not-for profit organization of cardiac and thoracic surgeons from around the world, will be travelling to Havana, Cuba to participate in an academic exchange with the Sociedad de Cardiologia y Cirugia Cardiovascular de Cuba. All Cuban cardiac and vascular surgeons will participate in this heart to heart exchange with their North American counterparts, where they will share new ideas on how to improve the care of cardiovascular surgery patients. It will include a series of lectures on a broad range of topics as well as opportunities to network and tour the local medical facilities. North American participants in the exchange include Lishan Aklog, MD (NY), Husam Balkhy, MD (IL), Jacob DeLaRosa, MD (ID), Todd Demmy, MD (NJ), Francis Duhay, MD (CA), Richard Fischel, MD (CA), Marc Gerdisch, MD (IN), T. Sloane Guy, MD (PA), Ali Khoynezhad, MD (CA), Louis Perrault, MD (Quebec), Chris Salerno, MD (IN), Wendel Smith, MD (CA), Grayson Wheatley, MD (PA) and Alan Morasch, CAE (OR).

“With political relations normalizing between the United States and Cuba, the health and the welfare of all citizens need to be addressed, especially those with heart and vascular disease, the leading cause of the death in both Cuba and the United States,” explains Dr. DeLaRosa, 21CCSS Vice President, Chief of Cardiac and Endovascular Surgery, Portneuf Medical Center and co-organizer of the exchange. His Cuban counterpart, co-organizer Professor Manuel Silvino Nafeh Abi-rezk, Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at Hospital Hermanos Amejeiras in Havana, believes that, “This exchange between the United States Cardiac Surgeons and Cuban surgeons is the first step of exchanging ideas and improving the healthcare for Cubans suffering heart disease.” Dr. Perrault, 21CCSS President and cardiovascular surgeon at the Montreal Heart Institute concurred, noting that “This academic exchange will be the foundation for ongoing exchanges that will benefit both countries providing a wonderful opportunity to share and learn from each other’s experiences in the operating room and more broadly.” He adds that “Cuban physicians and surgeons are widely respected for their work around the world, we expect to learn much from this exchange, which will help us advance the care of patients in North America as well.”

The meeting will take place at Cuba’s largest hospital, the renowned Hospital Hermanos Amejeiras in Havana, on September 10-11th. The meeting has been approved by the Ministerio de Salud Pública (MINSAP), Cuba.

About the 21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgery Society

The 21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgical Society (21CCSS) is an exclusive, United States based, group of leading cardiothoracic surgeons committed to the advancement of cardiac and thoracic research, technology and new clinical applications. The society was founded in 1992 by a group of academically-inclined young surgeons and has sixty-five members from around the world. 21CCSS holds its Annual Meeting over Presidents' Weekend in February, dinner meetings at professional society symposiums and academic visits/exchanges at medical centers each fall.

Contacts

21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgical Society (21CCSS)
Alan Morasch, CAE, 360-859-4123
Cell – 360-852-4507
FAX – 360-256-5597
alan@21ccss.org
www.21ccss.org

Contacts

21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgical Society (21CCSS)
Alan Morasch, CAE, 360-859-4123
Cell – 360-852-4507
FAX – 360-256-5597
alan@21ccss.org
www.21ccss.org