Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System Name New Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health

BRONX, N.Y., Dec. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sharmila Makhija, M.D., M.B.A., has been named professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System. An internationally-recognized expert in cancer prevention, she assumes her new position on April 1, 2015. Dr. Makhija joins Einstein and Montefiore from the University of Louisville School Of Medicine, where she serves as chair and professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Makhija, a nationally recognized leader in gynecologic oncology, to Montefiore," said Steven M. Safyer, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Montefiore Health System. "Dr. Makhija is an outstanding clinician and researcher who brings great passion, exacting standards and a spirit of innovation to Montefiore and is uniquely qualified to take the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health to new heights. In addition to her exceptional foundation in science and teaching, she has deep values and a commitment to excellence in clinical care."

Dr. Makhija's clinical and research focus is on gynecologic cancers, particularly ovarian and uterine cancers. She has participated in numerous clinical trials and translational research projects centered on developing targeted therapeutics and gene therapies and improving cancer guidelines and management. She has also championed the extension of cervical cancer clinical trials to underserved women, particularly in India, as well as participated in the HIV Prevention Trials Network.

"Dr. Makhija brings a unique and powerful mix to our joint venture," said Allen M. Spiegel, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein. "There is a growing need to quickly and efficiently bridge the gap between laboratory science and clinical application. Her notable abilities in this area will help Einstein and Montefiore build upon our existing foundation to extend the scope of our research and directly improve patient care."

Dr. Makhija received her Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and her Doctorate in Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Louisville Hospital and a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She received her executive M.B.A. from Emory University's Goizueta Business School.

Dr. Makhija has held faculty positions at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine/Magee-Women's Hospital, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine and most recently, the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of the American Medical Association, American Association of Cancer Research, American Society of Gynecologic Cancer and many more. Dr. Makhija is on the editorial board of the Journal of Oncology Practice and has served on the editorial boards of Women's Oncology Review Journal and the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. She is an alumna of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women and has been included in U.S. News and World Report's Top Doctor's List since 2008.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2014-2015 academic year, Einstein is home to 742 M.D. students, 212 Ph.D. students, 102 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 292 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 2,000 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2014, Einstein received $158 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Through its extensive affiliation network involving Montefiore, Jacobi Medical Center—Einstein's founding hospital, and three other hospital systems in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island, Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.

About Montefiore Health System
Montefiore Health System is a premier academic health system and the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Combining nationally-recognized clinical excellence with a population health perspective that focuses on the comprehensive needs of the communities it serves, Montefiore delivers coordinated, compassionate, science-driven care where, when and how patients need it most. Montefiore consists of seven hospitals and an extended care facility with a total of 2,455 beds, a School of Nursing, and state-of-the-art primary and specialty care provided through a network of more than 150 locations across the region, including the largest school health program in the nation and a home health program.  The Children's Hospital at Montefiore is consistently named in U.S. News' "America's Best Children's Hospitals."  Montefiore's partnership with Einstein advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. The health system derives its inspiration for excellence from its patients and community, and continues to be on the frontlines of developing innovative approaches to care.  For more information please visit www.montefiorehealthsystem.org. Follow us on Twitter; like us on Facebook; view us on YouTube.

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SOURCE Albert Einstein College of Medicine

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