Alan Markowitz, MD and Cathy Pollard Support Innovation in Cardiac Surgery
Throughout his career of more than four decades, Alan Markowitz, MD has never stopped learning. “The field of cardiac surgery is constantly changing and if you are not adapting to what the field is doing, then it can quickly pass you by,” he explained.
Dr. Markowitz, Cardiac Surgical Director, UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute at UH Ahuja Medical Center, and Marcella “Dolly" Haugh Chair in Valvular Surgery, decided the time was right to make a significant investment in the future of the Division of Cardiac Surgery. He and his wife, Cathy Pollard, recently made a commitment of $1 million to establish the Alan Markowitz, MD, and Cathy Pollard Cardiac Surgical Innovation Fund.
Under the direction of Marc Pelletier, MD, MSc, FRCSC, Chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery, UH Cleveland Medical Center, the new fund will support cardiac surgeons who are interested in traveling to learn new surgical techniques and technology. “This gift will allow our folks to go where these techniques have been perfected, learn how to do them, and then bring them back to UH to be implemented with our own patients safely and effectively,” said Dr. Markowitz.
Supporting Talented Colleagues
“This division is the best group of people I’ve had the opportunity to work with,” said Dr. Markowitz. “Everyone is extremely talented and more importantly, share the same philosophy I do about patient care, which is your responsibility to the patient doesn’t end when the surgery is over.”
Cathy, who used to work as a critical care nurse, concurred. “This group just hits all the marks: surgical talent, compassion and congeniality. This gift will really give Alan's colleagues a chance to shine and that’s pretty exciting.”
In Dr. Markowitz’s estimation, the division is blessed to have surgeons who are intellectually curious and eager to learn. “Every month, they go through hundreds of pages of journal literature that highlights new techniques or surgical nuances, which benefits not just the division, but the hospital as well,” he shared. “This funding will ultimately deliver significant results for our patients.”
“Someone has tested it and has data that shows it may be better than what you were doing," said Dr. Markowitz. "So it’s not just learning the newest techniques and technologies, but also learning how to do current techniques more safely, with better patient outcomes and less risk for complication. That often translates into shorter hospital stays, which benefits the hospital and the patient.”
Investing in the Future
When considering the importance of continuing education, Dr. Markowitz points to a trip he took to Portugal a decade ago with Daniel I. Simon, MD, President, Academic & External Affairs and Chief Scientific Officer, and Ernie and Patti Novak Distinguished Chair in Health Care Leadership. He and Dr. Simon, along with other UH physicians, observed and performed transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, and then came back to Cleveland to jumpstart the hospital’s TAVR program. UH Cleveland Medical Center was one of just 40 institutions to participate in the first TAVR clinical trials.
Today, UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute is recognized as a high-volume TAVR Center of Excellence. UH experts in the procedure have trained more than 700 fellow providers from all over the world.
“The TAVR experience really demonstrates the impact Alan and Cathy’s gift could have on the Division of Cardiac Surgery,” said Dr. Simon. “Our time overseas learning this minimally-invasive, catheter-based procedure put UH in a position to be a pioneer in new approaches to aortic valve replacement.”
Dr. Markowitz hopes his gift inspires other physicians to explore making a similar gift to their departments. “I’d like to think of this as seed money that will give the division the ability to stay at the forefront of the field.”
“It’s truly unprecedented to have a current physician make such a significant gift to the health system,” said Cliff Megerian, MD, FACS, CEO, University Hospitals. “This unique fund certainly sets our Division of Cardiac Surgery apart from other institutions. I’d like to thank Alan and Cathy for their forward-thinking investment and support.”
Dr. Markowitz said it’s been amazing to be part of the growth and success of the health system through the years.
“I’ve been really fortunate in my career with UH. I find myself with the best group of people in a job I couldn’t recreate anywhere else.”