SAN ANTONIO (April 10, 2008) — On Friday, April 11, the American Heart Association (AHA) will honor Steven Bailey, M.D., of the University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio, with the 2008 Heroes for Heart Award. Dr. Bailey is interim chief of cardiology and the Janey Briscoe Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Research at the UT Health Science Center.
The 2008 San Antonio Heart Ball — Heroes for Heart, benefiting the AHA — will take place at the new Grand Hyatt San Antonio. The gala will include live and silent auctions.
Event sponsors are AT&T, The Honorable Dolph Briscoe, the UT Health Science Center and Alcatel-Lucent.
This 24th annual black-tie Heart Ball is chaired by John and Debbie Montford. The Honorable John Montford also chairs the Health Science Center Development Board.
Reversing cardiovascular disease
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in Bexar County and the United States. Dr. Bailey and his colleagues are studying therapies that will lead to true biological reversal of the cardiovascular disease process.
Dr. Bailey is director of the Janey Briscoe Center of Excellence in Cardiovascular Research. The Janey Briscoe Center dovetails molecular biology studies at the Health Science Center with the clinical work of the cardiac catheterization laboratories at University Hospital and the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.
Mrs. Briscoe, who died in 2000, lived almost two years after a major heart attack because of the excellent care she received from Health Science Center faculty cardiologists. Gov. Briscoe has given substantial gifts to establish this research center in her name.
John Calhoon, M.D., professor of surgery and Calhoon President’s Council Chair for Excellence in Surgery at the Health Science Center, was the 2007 Heroes for Heart Award honoree.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $576 million and 5,000 faculty and staff, the UT Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $15.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The UT Health Science Center has had an estimated $35 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to seven campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 23,000 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and allied health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, allied health, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit www.uthscsa.edu.