Renowned Neurosurgeon Aizik L. Wolf and Miami Neuroscience Center Team to Partner with Larkin Community Hospital in Major Expansion

MIAMI, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In a bold move to expand its healthcare offerings, Larkin Community Hospital is adding Aizik L. Wolf, MD, a pioneer in Gamma Knife surgery, to its medical team, effective January, 2012.  It is also building state-of-the-art facilities for the Miami Neuroscience Center, whose staff and program move with Dr. Wolf to Larkin.  The center opens on the hospital's South Miami campus on January 3, 2012.

Larkin has taken significant steps to broaden its healthcare mandate and strengthen its service offerings.  For the past two years, the hospital has advanced its goal of becoming a leader in post-graduate medical education by obtaining accreditation for several residency programs including Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, Ophthalmology and Endocrinology. Today, it establishes itself as a leader in neurosurgery by partnering with Dr. Wolf and the Miami Neuroscience Center.  The new center will feature state-of-the-art imaging tools such as MRI, PET and CT, as well as Perfexion, the latest generation of Gamma Knife technology.  

"We are thrilled to have such an outstanding surgeon as Dr. Wolf joining our team," said Jack Michel, board chairman at Larkin Hospital. "Dr. Wolf is a giant in his field and his leadership of Larkin's new Miami Neuroscience Center clearly communicates our desire to be a leader in the healthcare industry."

Dr. Wolf has is a world-class neurosurgeon who, for the last 18 years, has performed a revolutionary procedure called Gamma Knife at Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables.  Gamma Knife is a non-invasive surgical procedure that treats brain tumors, facial pain and vascular malformations by directing intersecting gamma rays to the affected area.  The procedure eliminates the need for anesthesia, minimizes the side effects associated with radiation therapy, and dramatically shortens patients' recovery time.  Typically, patients can return home and resume normal activity on the same day as their surgery.

"The most important aspect of this move is that everyone that helped build this program into an internationally recognized center of excellence is moving to Larkin, everyone," said Dr. Wolf.

"Larkin Community Hospital is committed to providing the highest standards of healthcare and meeting the changing needs of our South Florida community," said Sandy Sosa-Guerrero, CEO at Larkin. "Dr. Wolf is truly an excellent partner for us because he shares our values and our vision for Larkin's future."

Dr. Wolf graduated summa cum laude from Yale Medical School and trained at the University of Minnesota Hospitals. Earlier in his career, Dr. Wolf served as chief of epilepsy and skull-base surgery at the University of Maryland and assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery. He received his Gamma Knife training at Brown University. 

About Larkin Community Hospital:

Larkin Community Hospital (LCH) is a 146-bed Acute Care Medical, Surgical and Psychiatric Teaching Hospital fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Its mission is to provide the highest quality of compassionate care in an educational environment. The hospital is located in South Miami.  For more information about Larkin, visit www.larkinhospital.com. For additional information about its Graduate Medical Education programs, visit www.gme.larkinhospital.com.

About the Miami Neuroscience Center:

Dr. Wolf founded the Miami Neuroscience Center in 1993. Over the past two decades, he and his team have performed nearly 7,000 Gamma Knife surgeries, acquiring a level of expertise unmatched in the field. The team's long-time collaboration also led to a number of medical breakthroughs. The team was the first to make extensive use of radiosurgery to manage multiple metastases. It was also one of the first to apply radiosurgery to treat large-sized benign tumors, and the first nationally to provide Gamma Knife treatments on an outpatient basis.  For more information, visit www.miamineurosciencecenter.com or call (305) 284-7554.

SOURCE Larkin Community Hospital