Society of Interventional Radiology Member Receives Award for Career Contributions

Vascular Disease Foundation's Julius H. Jacobson II MD Award for Physician Excellence Recognizes Outstanding Contributions of Barry T. Katzen, M.D., FSIR, to Physician Education, Leadership and Patient Care in Vascular Diseases

FAIRFAX, Va., Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Society of Interventional Radiology member Barry T. Katzen, M.D., FSIR, an interventional radiologist and founder and medical director of Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute in Miami, Fla., was awarded this year's Vascular Disease Foundation's Julius H. Jacobson II MD Award for Physician Excellence. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding contributions to physician education, leadership or patient care in vascular disease.

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"For more than 30 years, I've been committed to the improved diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases and—in particular—to increasing public awareness," said Katzen, past president of SIR, a national organization of nearly 4,700 doctors, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving health care through minimally invasive treatments. "I'm humbled by this honor, and I want to share it with my colleagues with whom I've worked over the years: those in interventional radiology, vascular surgery, interventional cardiology and clinical medicine," added Katzen, who is also clinical professor of radiology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine.

"Interventional radiology is about patient care, research, safety and—above all—collaboration. Dr. Katzen's work in all these areas is groundbreaking," said SIR President Timothy P. Murphy, M.D., FSIR. "Dr. Katzen has been an outstanding leader in endovascular interventions for more than 30 years. He is an excellent clinician, a remarkable teacher, a dedicated investigator and a visionary innovator who has advanced endovascular interventions," added Murphy, an interventional radiologist and director of the Vascular Disease Research Center at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. He noted that Katzen "has pioneered many of the methods of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or PTA, popularized fibrinolytic therapy and instituted the use of 'live-case' tutorials for vascular education, which has evolved into a teaching tool for procedure-oriented specialties."

Robert B. McLafferty, M.D., president of the VDF, commended Katzen for his advancement of the science of clinical practice of vascular disease. "Dr. Katzen is a strong leader who has made essential contributions to the field of vascular disease," said McLafferty. "Known for having the highest personal and professional integrity, Dr. Katzen has done much to advance the cause of vascular disease throughout the world with collaborative relationships that work toward improving patient care," he added.

At Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute since 1987, Katzen has led in the development of interventional radiology and multi-disciplinary models for delivering cardiovascular care. In the 1990s, Katzen led the team involved in the first transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure in the United States. He was also involved in the implementation of aortic stent grafts and has been significantly involved in stroke prevention through his work on carotid stent therapy and has served as principal investigator on multiple carotid stent trials.

An internationally known speaker, Katzen is voluntary professor of radiology at the University of Miami School of Medicine, a position he has held for 23 years, and associate dean for clinical affairs at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami. One of the few non-surgeons in the United States to be awarded membership in the Society for Vascular Surgery, he has served on committees for the American Heart Association, the American College of Radiology, the Radiological Society of North America and the American College of Cardiology.

Katzen is the first American to receive the Gold Medal from the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) and is also the recipient of Gold Medals from both SIR for lifetime achievement and from the University of Miami Alumni Association. Katzen, a distinguished Dr. Charles T. Dotter Lecturer, has served on the editorial boards of many publications, including the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Radiology Today, Diagnostic Imaging, the American Heart Journal and Endovascular Today (where he is chief medical editor).

SIR is a member organization of the Vascular Disease Foundation, whose mission is to reduce death and disability from vascular diseases and improve vascular health. The VDF's annual Julius H. Jacobson II MD Award for Physician Excellence is endowed through a donation from Julius H. Jacobson II, M.D., a pioneer in microsurgery and the first physician to bring a microscope into the operating room. Jacobson also developed the first microscope that allowed the surgeon and the first assistant to view the operative field simultaneously. Jacobson's work led to such advances as coronary artery surgery and limb re-implantation.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology
Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-ray, MRI and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, such as in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease internally. As the inventors of angioplasty and the catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally invasive modern medicine. Today, interventional oncology is a growing specialty area of interventional radiology. Interventional radiologists can deliver treatments for cancer directly to the tumor without significant side effects or damage to nearby normal tissue.

Many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery. Visit www.SIRweb.org.

SOURCE Society of Interventional Radiology