Catalyst Bear Necessities Ed and Shari Glazer’s teddy bears bring comfort to young patients Contents Catalyst The Starting Point 1 Senior Vice President’s Letter | Arthur J. Ochoa Catalyst is published three times a year by the Community Relations and Development Department Building Momentum of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. 2 Open Your Heart to Health Senior Vice President for Community Relations and Development 3 Remembering Irving Feintech Arthur J. Ochoa, Esq. 4 Bicycles Built for Joy Director, Development Communications 6 King’s Speeches Kenneth Ross 7 Changing of the Guard: Lawrence B. Platt Editor 7 First Lady of Cedars-Sinai: Barbara Factor Bentley Laura Grunberger Editorial Coordinator Louise Cobb The Major Catalyst Managing Editor 8 Cover Story | Ed and Shari Glazer: Bear Necessities Susan Wampler Editorial Assistant Amanda Busick The Philanthropic Spark Art Direction 12 Thomas D. Gordon and Jon A. Kobashigawa, MD: A Family Affair The Doyle | Logan Company 15 Ryan Gurman: The Young and the Selfless Contributing Writers Louise Cobb Sarah Spivack Forward Motion Photographers Max S. Gerber 16 Appointments, dedications, and events in the Cedars-Sinai community John Livzey Ted & Debbie Teri Weber Dynamic Energy Event Photography 24 Women’s Guild Sally Aristei Alex Berliner 27 The Helping Hand of Los Angeles Vince Bucci Photography 28 The Heart Foundation Angela Daves Haley Lisa Hollis 28 Sports Spectacular Thomas Neerken 30 run for her® Baron Erik Spafford 32 Board of Governors 36 Fashion Industries Guild Community Pulse 38 Heart to Heart: Ambassadors Share Hope and a Special Bond Illuminations © 2011 by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Letters to the editor, address changes, 44 Philanthropic Tributes | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Honor Roll requests to be added/removed from our mailing list, or all other inquiries can be addressed to Catalyst, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd., Suite 2416, Connections Los Angeles, CA 90048. We can also be reached by phone at (323) 866-6732 and 64 Upcoming Events by e-mail at [email protected]. E The Starting Point Building the Future of Medicine f you have driven past Cedars-Sinai recently, you know that construction is underway on the Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion (AHSP). It would be Idifficult to overstate the sense of excitement that pervades the Medical Center as the new 11-story, 450,000-square-foot structure rises above San Vicente Boulevard. Our community is on the threshold of a new era in healthcare. The AHSP will reshape the patient experience at Cedars-Sinai. The Pavilion will continue our tradition of highest quality outpatient care—housing our renowned centers in cardiology and neurosciences and a wide spectrum of services and procedure suites—while introducing a very new level of convenience. In Los Angeles, even short distances can mean long commutes, and parking is at a premium: The AHSP will provide six levels of parking and a pedestrian bridge connecting the building to the Medical Center towers. “Our community is on the threshold of a new era in healthcare.” The AHSP will help change the way discoveries become medicine. In traditional medical settings, doctors and researchers often work in separate locations. This tends to hinder the easy exchange of insights and information, and frequently delays the translation of laboratory discoveries into new treatments and therapies. Instead the AHSP will bring physicians and researchers—across medical and scientific disciplines—under one roof. The building’s design features common areas where medical professionals will naturally interact. Their synergistic partnerships will drive innovations that make a real difference for patients and their families. Add the building’s emphasis on environmental and energy-saving design and you will begin to understand why the AHSP is generating so much buzz at Cedars-Sinai and beyond. Of course, we are as filled with gratitude as we are with anticipation—our institution is profoundly fortunate to be launching such an ambitious project at a time when so many hospitals nationwide are struggling. We look forward to bringing you updates about AHSP’s progress. In the meantime, we encourage you to reach out to learn more, and to join us as we build the future of medicine. Arthur J. Ochoa | Senior Vice President for Community Relations and Development CATALYST SUMMER 2011 1 Building Momentum Open Your Heart to Health Go Red for Women Each year on February 4, healthcare professionals at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute wear red in recognition of National Go Red For Women Day. The annual event aims to increase public awareness of gender differences in heart disease and to foster support for more research into treatments. Of course, every day at the Heart Institute is dedicated to raising awareness and combating heart disease, which remains the No. 1 killer of both women and men in the U.S. n her mid-20s, lean, and a professional fitness trainer with no family history of heart disease, Danielle Burgener seemed at little risk from Ia heart attack. Then one night she felt “incredible pain” in her chest, jaw, and back. She and her husband, Todd, rushed to a hospital near their San Gabriel Valley home. The emergency room doctors struggled to determine the cause of her pain. One thought it might simply be an anxiety attack. It turned out to be a heart attack due to a rare coronary aneurysm. Fortunately, Danielle’s cardiologist referred her to the Women’s Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, where specialists have extensive expertise in even the most complicated cardiovascular issues. Now her condition is being successfully managed, thanks to a course of treatment set up by Women’s Heart Center Director C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD. The origins of Danielle’s weakened artery wall remain something of a mystery, however. One factor may have been her pregnancy. She hadn’t felt in tip-top shape since giving birth to her son, Jackson. After being diagnosed in her 20s with a heart attack due to a rare coronary aneurysm, fitness trainer Danielle Burgener now helps other women be mindful of their own heart health. 2 CATALYST WINTER 2011 Remembering Irving Feintech rvingFeintech,formerchairmanoftheCedars- SinaiBoardofDirectors,passedawayatage92on IFebruary5,2011.HiscontributionstotheMedical Centerweremanyandwide-ranging.Hewasatthe forefrontofthemergerbetweenCedarsofLebanon andMountSinaiHospitalthatcreatedtoday’s Cedars-SinaiMedicalCenter.WithRobertSilverstein, heco-chairedthelandmarkCampaignforthe21st Centurytoexpandhospitalfacilities.Andfrom1993 to1995,hechairedtheBoardofDirectors. LawrenceB.Platt,chairoftheCedars-SinaiBoard Heart problems can happen at any age, notes Margo B. Minissian, ofDirectors,notedthatIrvingFeintech“leavesus cardiology nurse practitioner at the Women’s Heart Center.“The lesson is, if witharichlegacyoftirelessdevotiontoourMedical you’re having symptoms, listen to your body,” she says, calling it “frightening Center.Hislifewasashiningexampleofone how often people don’t listen to the symptoms that women report.” person—throughpainstakinganddynamicaction— Danielle now shares her experience with others, helping make sure enrichingthelivesofmany,manypeople.” those she works with pay attention to their own heart health. “Irving’sdevotiontoCedars-Sinaiknewno “I’ve gotten pretty good at doing what I need to do to avoid another bounds,”saidThomasM.Priselac,presidentandCEO. heart attack,” she says. This includes keeping a portable heart-rate monitor “Hegavemorethan45yearsofdistinguishedservice with her and changing her workout routine to stay within recommended andleadershiptothehospitalthatmeantsomuchto target zones. “I’ve learned to slow down and appreciate the small moments,” him.Hispassionandenergywerelegendary.Wewill adds Danielle, “like watching my son laugh or taking a breath of fresh air.” sorelymisshisfriendshipanddedication.” OneofthedevelopersofPorterRanch,Feintech servedontheboardsofdirectorsoftheMusicCenter Marketing Heart Health andtheCedars-SinaiPsychologicalTraumaCenter, Gelson’s Markets partnered with the Women’s Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai andonthehonoraryboardoftheProstateCancer Heart Institute for the Super Heart Smart campaign, raising awareness of heart Foundation.HealsowasamemberoftheWestCoast health and gender-specific differences in women. For the month of February, Chairmen’sCounciloftheAmericanFriendsofthe shoppers at Gelson’s Southern California locations found tags identifying heart- IsraelPhilharmonicOrchestra.Alawyerbytraininghe, healthy foods, signs at the deli counter with heart-health information, and heart togetherwithhisbrotherNormanFeintech,owned facts printed on grocery bags. Gelson’s donated 100 percent of the purchase LibertyBuildingCompany. price of each Super Heart Smart reusable bag to the Women’s Heart Center. HeissurvivedbyhisdaughtersLisaFeintechand Shoppers could even add their own donations while completing their purchases. WendyFeintech,andsister-in-lawEvelynFeintech. CATALYST SUMMER 2011 3 Building Momentum Bicycles Built for hen some 50 Cedars-Sinai staff members entered Thalians Joy WAuditorium one morning, they only knew they would be taking part in a team-building exercise. The 20 boxes of bicycle parts came as a surprise—but not as big a surprise as the joyful smiles that would ultimately result from the day’s labor. Mitch Martens, the senior administrative services associate in the Quality/ Performance Improvement and Medical Staff Services department who organized the exercise, tasked employees with assembling the bikes.