Marc Gerdisch, M.D., will be the recipient of the Excellence in Health Science Research Award at the annual Tony and Mary Hulman Health Achievement Awards program Thursday, Oct. 7, at the downtown Westin Hotel.
Gerdisch, the director of cardiothoracic surgery at the St. Francis Heart Center, is being recognized for advancing heart valve surgery through the use of Extracellular Matrix to modify and repair cardiac structures. The CorMatrix ECM™ is a unique biomaterial that harnesses the body’s innate ability to repair damaged heart tissue. Over time, it is replaced by the patients’ own tissue.
In 2008, he became the first in the world to perform procedures using the ECM technology.
“This is a tremendous honor and the St. Francis family is proud of Dr. Gerdisch,” said Robert J. Brody, president and chief executive officer. “The improved quality of lives and health outcomes of his patients are the true testaments to his success as clinician.”
Gerdisch is a partner at Cardiac Surgery Associates, co-director of the St. Francis Heart Valve Center and is clinical assistant professor of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at the Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago
In March 2010, Gerdisch was honored for his work with the ECM and named a “Health Care Hero” by the Indianapolis Business Journal.
To learn more about Gerdisch’s work, go to http://www.cardiactissuerepair.net.
For more than 15 years, Gerdisch has contributed to advancements in cardiac surgery, being one of the first to perform many less invasive and innovative procedures. His expertise spans from novel minimally invasive treatments for atrial fibrillation, to high-risk multi-valve operations in patients with advanced disease.
More recently, Gerdisch and his surgical team were among the first in the nation to use a new intracardial device and procedure to reduce the risk of stroke for patients.
The system is called the AtriClip Gillinov-Cosgrove Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion and it recently was given approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is used on atrial fibrillation (afib) patients undergoing open-heart surgery.
Gerdisch’s selection marks the third time in four years that St. Francis Heart Center clinicians have been selected for the Hulman Awards.
In 2008, the Cardiac Screening Center received the Health Achievement Award for its extensive screening outreach program to south-central Indiana
For more information about the Indiana Public Health Foundation or the awards event, go to www.iphf.us.
