Goldenberg Named Director of Clinical Cardiovascular Research
Ilan Goldenberg, M.D., an expert in sudden cardiac death, defibrillators, and the management of clinical trials, will serve as Director of Clinical Cardiovascular Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center. In this newly created position, Goldenberg will consolidate all clinical cardiology research into one team. He will also expand the clinical studies conducted at the Medical Center, building upon the work of internationally known cardiologist Arthur J. Moss, who made some of the most significant discoveries in the prevention and treatment of sudden cardiac death and who passed away in February.
Currently professor and director of the Cardiology Division at Tel Aviv University in Israel, Goldenberg worked with Moss and others between 2004 and 2011 when he was a full-time faculty member in the Division of Cardiology at URMC. He gained expertise in the use of defibrillators to prevent sudden death and insight into the successful operation of large scale clinical trials through his participation in the landmark MADIT (Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial) trials, which were run by Moss and a large team at URMC’s Heart Research Follow-up Program.
Upon returning to Israel, Goldenberg was appointed Director of the Department of Cardiology at Sheba Medical Center and of the Israeli Center for Cardiovascular Trials. He expanded his research focus to include advanced therapies for heart failure; atrial fibrillation; secondary prevention studies using digital health tools and remote monitoring measures; and big data science. He is the principal investigator on 14 research grants from industry and government worth approximately $8 million. He’s published more than 300 studies in peer reviewed journals.
“Ilan has the vision and the imagination needed to grow our research enterprise and enhance Arthur’s legacy,” said Charles J. Lowenstein, M.D., the Paul N. Yu Professor, chief of Cardiology and director of the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) at URMC. “With his breadth of experience, proven administrative skills, and track record of expertly run trials, he is the ideal candidate to make the wonderful work we’re doing here even better, leading to new advances for heart patients in Rochester and around the world.”
The Heart Research Follow-up Program is one of the most successful arrhythmia and sudden death research programs in the world and the hub of clinical cardiology research at URMC. Goldenberg plans to broaden the focus of the program beyond sudden death, collaborating with investigators from the Aab CVRI – a team of scientists dedicated to understanding the basic molecular mechanisms of heart disease – and practicing physicians in the Division of Cardiology to create a multidisciplinary research team. Potential new areas of investigation include genetics, left ventricular assist device trials, and the use of new technologies to improve patient feedback and outcomes.
Research training for the next generation of cardiologists is another priority for Goldenberg, who received his medical degree at the Sackler School of Medicine in Israel and trained as a medical resident and cardiology fellow at Sheba Medical Center in Israel. He plans to initiate an organized clinical research training program for residents and fellows to provide tools for independent research. Cardiology and cardiovascular surgery fellows, residents in internal medicine and senior clinicians interested in clinical research will be encouraged to design and conduct research projects in all areas of cardiovascular research.
Goldenberg will start his new role at the Medical Center on July 1, 2018, pending approval by University trustees.
—URMC PR, March 2018 (read the original NewsCenter story here.)
