Soleimani Inaugural Lecture Code Duplicate 2

Inaugural Lecture

Preserving the Soul: From Puzzle People to the Bionic Man

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 | 4 to 5 p.m.

Penn State College of Medicine Junker Auditorium and via Zoom

A professional white coat photo of Behzad Soleimani, MD

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Credit

CME credit is available for those who attend live.

Penn State College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Penn State College of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s).

Learning objective

  • Discuss the impact of novel technologies on fundamentals of cardiovascular care and disease prevention.

Behzad Soleimani, MD

Associate Professor, Department of Surgery
Division of Cardiac Surgery
Director, Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute

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During his tenure as interim director, Dr. Soleimani has led the Heart and Vascular Institute in achieving a 100% three-year survival rate for the heart transplant program, surpassing the national average by almost 15% and positioning the program as No. 1 in Pennsylvania and No. 2 nationally. He has also increased access for new patients and improved quality, productivity and patient and physician satisfaction. In addition to this, he has appointed the institute’s first vice chair for diversity, equity and inclusion and oversaw an improvement in institute culture, interdisciplinary collaboration and faculty engagement.

Dr. Soleimani, an internationally recognized heart surgeon, joined the faculty at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in 2010. In 2015, he was appointed the surgical director of the Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program and, since that time, the heart transplant program has transformed into one of the most successful in the country.

He has pioneered novel techniques in minimally invasive surgery to remove and replace Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) so that patients whose hearts are supported with older generation devices benefit from the most modern available technology, without the need for reopening the sternum. He was also the first surgeon in the United States to use a titanium plug to seal the hole within the recovered heart of an adult patient after the removal of an LVAD.

He is the recipient of a national award for implanting the second-highest number of total artificial hearts in the United States and the fourth-highest number in the world in 2015. Dr. Soleimani is credited with having among the world’s largest number of surviving patients after LVAD implantation in the setting of critical cardiogenic shock supported by ECMO, a machine that temporarily performs the functions of the heart and lungs. These achievements speak to his technical skills as a surgeon as well as his ability to work collaboratively with the many disciplines that play a critical role in the care of patients with advanced heart failure. Since October 2019, Dr. Soleimani has served as chief of cardiac surgery.

Dr. Soleimani is highly regarded by his patients; in fact, his patient satisfaction score is 100%.

During his time with the organization, he has implemented quality improvement initiatives that resulted in significant improvement in outcomes after cardiac surgery. He has also presided over a number of key recruitments in cardiac surgery and overseen changes in care models in the Intensive Care Unit.

Dr. Soleimani is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, a fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons of England and a member of The Royal College of Physicians of London. He achieved board certification in cardiothoracic surgery from The Royal College of Surgeons in 2005. He was awarded a doctorate in transplantation immunology from Imperial College London in 2007.