Dr. Art Sedrakyan To Lead New Comparative Effectiveness Program

Medical News Today—June 10, 2010

A leading authority in comparative effectiveness research, Dr. Art Sedrakyan has been appointed director of a new collaborative program in comparative effectiveness research (CER) based in the Department of Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College. The program's research portfolio will initially focus on devices, drugs and alternative approaches for the management of orthopedic conditions and cardiovascular diseases, with the intent of using this to build a comprehensive program in comparative effectiveness research for the entire medical center.

The initial partners for this program are Hospital for Special Surgery, the Weill Cornell Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Dean's Office at Weill Cornell Medical College.

As a result of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, $1.1 billion of new federal funding has been designated for comparative effectiveness research, which involves studies aimed at identifying which treatments provide the greatest benefit to different patient groups, ultimately to improve care for all patients.

"We are extremely fortunate to have someone of the stature of Dr. Sedrakyan to lead this joint research endeavor," says Dr. Steven Goldring, chief scientific officer and St. Giles Chair at Hospital for Special Surgery. "Under his leadership, our two institutions have the opportunity to collaborate and demonstrate our commitment to clinical research and quality outcomes to improve patient care."

This article originally appeared at medicalnewstoday.com.