2011 Medical Innovation Summit to Showcase Latest Innovations in Cardiovascular Care

CLEVELAND, Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- What is the state of medical innovation in this new era of health care reform? What novel drugs are being developed to treat heart disease? Is cardiovascular innovation still a good investment opportunity? What do the top CEOs in the industry see as the biggest opportunities?  Will IBM's Watson supercomputer be able to diagnose disease as well as practicing physicians?

These questions – and many others – will be discussed at Cleveland Clinic's 9th Annual Medical Innovation Summit Oct. 3-5. Registration is now open.

This year's Summit will focus on the heart and breakthrough technologies that will help diagnose and treat cardiovascular ailments. Heart failure currently affects 6 million Americans and top executives, investors, entrepreneurs, clinicians and technologists will gather to share ideas on how to effectively treat this burgeoning problem, as well as a host of other cardiovascular conditions.

"Cardiovascular care remains the largest market in all of medicine," says Chris Coburn, Executive Director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations. "Its history of innovation includes some of the most important technologies ever developed – heart transplantation, the artificial heart, heart pumps, pacemakers, stents, angiography, and hundreds more. The Summit will pinpoint what is coming next in cardiovascular care and what is the future for new technology in the current health care environment."

The Medical Innovation Summit attracts more than 1,000 leaders each year from more nearly two dozen countries. The three-day gathering will feature focused discussions with healthcare leaders, presentations by top medical innovators, and demonstrations of new heart therapies.

The 2011 Medical Innovation Summit speakers will feature more than 50 top health care leaders, including the CEOs of some of the most important companies in the industry: Ian Read (Pfizer), Jeffery Immelt (General Electric), Omar Ishrak (Medtronic), David Snow (Medco), Raymond Elliot (Boston Scientific), Daniel Starks (St. Jude Medical), Gary Burbach (Thoratec), Ursula Burns (Xerox), John Castellani (PhRMA), Michael Mussallem (Edwards Lifesciences), Tim Ring (CR Bard), Doug Godshall (Heartware) James Greenwood (BIO), Steve Ubl (AdvaMed). Media moderators will include Bob Bazell (NBC) and Maria Bartiromo (CNBC).

Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney will bring a patient's perspective to innovations in heart health over the years, and Nobel Laureate Dr. Ferid Murad will review the top scientific challenges in cardiac care. More than two dozen top Cleveland Clinic cardiovascular physicians will present and demonstrate the latest cardiovascular technologies.  For a complete list of speakers, please visit:

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/innovations/summit/speakers_se.html

The Cleveland Clinic will also reveal its list of the "Top Ten" Medical Innovations at The Medical Innovation Summit for the 6th consecutive year.  This list consists of the breakthrough technologies that will have the most impact on health care in 2012.  Michael Roizen, MD, Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, and a panel of ten of the Clinic's physician leaders will present the highly anticipated "Top Ten" on the last day of the conference.

For a list of previous "Top Ten" winners, please visit:

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/innovations/summit/topten10/index.html

About Cleveland Clinic

Celebrating its 90th anniversary, Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. It was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. About 2,800 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic Health System includes a main campus near downtown Cleveland, nine community hospitals and 15 Family Health Centers in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and opening in 2013, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2010, there were 4 million visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 155,000 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 100 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org.  Follow us at www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.

SOURCE Cleveland Clinic