ACCOLADES

Accolades Accolades

Dr. William

Zoghbi, director of the Cardiovascular Imaging Center at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, was elected president of the American Society of Echocardiography. He assumed the duties of leading the respected 14,000 member organization on June 9 in a ceremony in Toronto.

Zoghbi, who holds the William L. Winters Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Imaging at Methodist, is a leader in the field of echocardiography and Doppler ultrasound. He has devised new noninvasive techniques to evaluate valve disorders and cardiac function. He has authored more than 175 original publications in the field of cardiovascular imaging and frequently speaks on these topics around the globe. , a senior vice president at The Methodist Hospital, has been named among the 2008 Yoplait Champions, men and women from across the country who are honored for doing extraordinary things in their communities to help in the fight against breast cancer. A breast cancer survivor, Schwartz and two other women created the Young Survival Coalition, an organization dedicated to improving the quality and quantity of life for those under 40 with breast cancer. Since its inception in 1998, the organization has grown to more than 15,000 members and has had a significant impact on the lives of thousands of young women.

Twenty-five 2008 Champions represent 17 states and comprise breast cancer patients, survivors and advocates as well as husbands, mothers, daughters and friends of those touched by breast cancer. Each champion has a unique tie to the disease, but all share a passion for raising awareness and educating others.

Dr. Gerald Lawrie

Dr. Gerald Lawrie, cardiothoracic surgeon at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, has received the Michael E. DeBakey Endowed Chair for Cardiac Surgery. Lawrie, a pioneer in valvular surgery, invented a technique called the American Correction, with which he has a 100 percent success rate for repair of diseased mitral valves. In 2007, Lawrie was the first to use a surgical robot to successfully repair a mitral valve using this advanced technique. The DeBakey Endowed Chair will help fund research and advancements in the treatment of heart and valvular disease.

Roberta Schwartz

The Methodist Hospital received an Arbor Day Award from Trees For Houston for its support of the organization through its employee bereavement program and tree replanting project. Methodist was honored for its donation of trees to the Tribute Grove in Hermann Park and for its careful relocation and replanting of trees taken from the future site of The Methodist Hospital Research Institute.

As part of its bereavement response program, Methodist makes a monetary donation to Trees for Houston when an immediate family member of an employee dies. When an employee passes away, the hospital makes a larger monetary gift and donates a 15-gallon tree for the Tribute Grove, along with one year of maintenance.