UIC, CHRIST HOSPITAL ANNOUNCE PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

The department of pediatrics at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the pediatric cardiology program at Christ Hospital have formed an affiliation that will strengthen teaching and clinical programs at both institutions.

The agreement joins UIC's pediatric cardiology program with Christ's, which is the largest in Illinois. UIC medical students have received some of their pediatric training at Christ for several years through an affiliation between the UIC College of Medicine and the Advocate hospital network, which includes Christ Hospital.

"The advantages to each partner institution in this affiliation will be considerable," said Dr. George Honig, head of UIC's department of pediatrics. "The Christ Hospital program will gain a strong academic connection, with the university's resources and sponsorship providing a base of support for its teaching and research. The pediatric cardiology program at UIC will benefit considerably from association with the large, effective and well-functioning clinical program of The Heart Institute for Children."

In addition, Honig said, each institution will benefit from joining geographic areas and respective patient bases. The opportunity to recruit new faculty who meet the needs of both institutions and the potential for new program development will also strengthen both programs.

Christ Hospital programs in cardiac pathology and molecular biology research will be integrated with corresponding programs at UIC. Cardiology faculty members in the department of pediatrics at the UIC College of Medicine and Christ Hospital's The Heart Institute for Children will become a unified group. Dr. Rene Arcilla, an internationally recognized leader in pediatric cardiology and founding director of The Heart Institute for Children, will assume overall responsibility for the integrated program and will be appointed professor of pediatrics and division head of pediatric cardiology at UIC.

Dr. David Thoele will continue to be responsible for UIC's division of pediatric cardiology.

Dr. Michel Ilbawi, head of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at Christ Hospital and faculty member in UIC's department of surgery, will continue to direct pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at the UIC Medical Center.

Arcilla expects the affiliation to eventually result in the development or expansion of highly specialized services, including new cardiac imaging modalities, perinatal cardiology, interventional cardiac catheterization, high-frequency catheter ablation for cardiac arrhythmias and new cardiac electrophysiologic interventions.

With 25,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest and most diverse university in the Chicago area. UIC is home to the largest medical school in the United States and is one of only 88 national Research I universities. Located just west of Chicago's Loop, UIC is a vital part of the educational, technological and cultural fabric of the area.

-UIC-