2012
Learn more about the surgeons of Columbia University Medical Center by viewing clips of recent news coverage, referencing their contributions to the professional literature, noting awards they've received, and reading the consumer and professional newsletters published by the Department of Surgery.
Liver transplant team makes sure 4-year old girl receives needed transplant
in the midst of Hurricane Sandy
Four-year old Natalia Dreeland received the best possible news — a rare matched liver was available for her much-needed transplant — but at the worst possible time.
With Hurricane Sandy bearing down on NJ and NY that very day, the chances of being able to transport that liver from Nevada to NY grew slimmer with each passing hour.
Yet Natalia's transplant team, transplant coordinators, and heroic pilots did not give up until the donor liver arrived safely at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia.
Three weeks later, Natalia is recovering and doing well.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, we've seen photos and heard the inspiring stories of people helping neighbors to shovel sand out of their ravaged homes, of young people carrying water up flights of stairs for elderly neighbors and relatives, and of strangers offering sidewalk charging stations and a place to rest.
But have you heard about the nurse practitioner, who happens to be a professional competitive BBQ griller, who helped to feed 6000 people in New York and New Jersey? Didn't think so!
Read more.
In an effort to increase the number of organ donors in New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed "Lauren's Law" on October 4, 2012. This would not have been possible, however without one of the youngest advocates for organ donation and the namesake of the law: twelve-year-old Lauren Shields.
Read More.
Unprecedented Study Documents Severe Shortage of Surgical Care in Sierra Leone
Compelling data put need for surgical care on policy-makers' radar.
Imagine an area the size of South Carolina with a population of six million people (about the population of San Francisco and Chicago combined).
Now imagine that there are only ten surgeons available in this entire region.
If you are unlucky enough to need surgery for any reason, chances are high that you will never receive treatment. Ever.
Read More.
NYPH ranked #1 hospital in NY City, # 7 in nation, in US News & World Report Survey
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the best hospital in the metropolitan New York area, and ranks seventh in the nation, according to the 23rd annual U.S.
News & World Report annual survey, published July 17, 2012.
This marks the 13th year that NYPH was included in the report's Honor Roll.
Of the 4793 hospitals included in the survey, 3% rank highly in just one specialty.
NYPH earned national ranking in 23 specialties, including nine pediatric and 14 adult specialties.
It was also ranked high-performing in two other areas of care.
Rankings of the hospitals are based on criteria including survival rates, safety measures, nurse-to-patient ratios, and other factors.
The 2012-2013 report comes one week after NYPH was featured in the debut of NY Med, an eight-part documentary series filmed inside the hospital for one year.
See the overview of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in the July 17, 2012 US News & World Report here.
Columbia study shows ECMO is effective in bridging patients to lung transplantation and recovery
NYPH/Columbia's ECMO and Lung Transplant teams have reported the best survival rates to date for ECMO-supported bridge to lung transplant.
Patients waiting for a lung transplant may develop severe respiratory failure while on the transplant waitlist and require mechanical ventilation.
Traditionally, such patients rapidly become too sick and deconditioned to tolerate a transplant and they are soon removed from the waitlist.
The Columbia program is considered a leader in the field and has pioneered the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as an artificial lung to temporarily support patients with severe respiratory failure.
In many cases, ECMO provides adequate support without the need for mechanical ventilation, and sometimes even allows patients to get out of bed and exercise.
This permits them to maintain or even improve their physical conditioning rather than allowing it to worsen, greatly increasing the likelihood that they will be successfully transplanted.
Results of experience at NYPH/Columbia were published in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery July 13, 2012. 
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