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Grand Rapids, Michigan (December 12, 2011) – Saint Mary’s Health Care today announced the appointment of Dr. Philip B. Gorelick as the medical director of the Hauenstein Neuroscience Center.

Dr. Gorelick, internationally known expert in stroke and stroke prevention, has been the John S. Garvin Professor and Head, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, since 2003. He served as a Stroke Fellow under Louis R. Caplan, MD, at Michael Reese Hospital as part of the University of Chicago Neurology Program and as the Director of the University of Illinois Stroke Service in the Department of Neurology where he received the Golden Apple and Alpha Omega Alpha awards for excellence in teaching. He was later the Director of the Stroke Service at Michael Reese Hospital where he received the Langendorf Teaching Award from the Department of Medicine and was the Director of the Stroke and Neurological Critical Care Service at Rush Medical Center where he was awarded an endowed chair in Neurology — the Jannotta Presidential Chair. Dr. Gorelick is board-certified in Neurology and Vascular Neurology.

Since 1987, Dr. Gorelick has received funding from the National Institutes of Health for such studies as the African American Antiplatelet Stroke Prevention Study, Risk Markers for Dementia After Stroke, and Neuroepidemiology of Multi-Infarct Dementia. His research focus has been identification of risk factors for stroke, first and recurrent stroke prevention, stroke prevention in high risk populations, and elucidating risk factors for vascular forms of cognitive impairment (VCI) and understanding mechanisms of VCI.

Dr. Gorelick received the Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke 2004 from the American Heart Association and the National Stroke Association (NSA) Visionary in Stroke Award. He has also held the Daniel Gainey Lectureship 2005 at Mayo Clinic and the Henry Barnett 2005 Lectureship from the Canadian Stroke Network. Dr. Gorelick has been cited by Good Housekeeping as one of the top Stroke Neurologists in the United States and is a member of the Goddess Fund Stroke Advisory Board, Board of Directors of the NSA, and Advisory Board for the American Stroke Association.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in America and the No. 1 cause of adult disability. According to the National Stroke Association, more than 750,000 Americans have a new or recurrent stroke every year, and incidence is on the rise. It is estimated that 5.4 million (or 1 in 55) Americans are living with the effects of stroke at any given time.

Saint Mary’s stroke program has received a Perfect score from the Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Certification and has achieved Best in Class (9 out of 10 categories) in stroke quality outcomes. The Hauenstein Center houses dedicated stroke beds in its inpatient unit, thereby assuring the best and most appropriate care for stroke victims. Dr. Muhammad Farooq, Fellowship trained vascular neurologist, leads the Stroke Follow-up Clinic, Stroke Prevention Clinic and Stroke Program.

“We are so pleased to have Dr. Gorelick join us at the Hauenstein Center,” commented Philip H. McCorkle, Jr., President and CEO of Saint Mary’s Health Care. “He brings the level of expertise that will further elevate our program, not only in clinical experience, but also in research and in teaching.”

The neuroscience program at Saint Mary’s Health Care provides comprehensive services including diagnosis, treatment, follow up care, rehabilitation, and support services to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s epilepsy, Parkinson’s, spine disorders, multiple sclerosis, neuro-opthalmological conditions, and those needing neuro-specific rehabilitation. The program is housed in the Hauenstein Neuroscience Center on the Saint Mary’s downtown campus. The Hauenstein Center, completed in 2009, was funded primarily through philanthropy, spearheaded by the efforts of Ralph Hauenstein, longtime Grand Rapids community leader and World War II hero.

“We at the Van Andel Institute look forward to working closely with Dr. Gorelick ,” remarked David Van Andel, Chief Executive of the Van Andel Institute. “Dr. Gorelick will be an important addition as we build a world-class neuroscience center here in Grand Rapids.”

Dr. Gorelick, who also holds a master’s degree in Public Health, graduated from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in 1977 and completed his internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He was a resident at Loyola University and completed a stroke fellowship at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. He completed Neurology Residency at Loyola and Hines VAH (1978-1981) and will officially join Saint Mary’s Health Care officially in February, 2012.

Additionally, Dr. Gorelick's work includes international studies and honors. Currently, he is helping to direct the World Federation of Neurology applied research effort, has been awarded a grant to study availability of neurological diagnostic and treatment services

worldwide, and is an honorary member of stroke societies in Korea and India. He brings to Saint Mary’s Health Care a directorship of the Clinical Coordinating Center for the US Desmoteplase in Acute Ischemic Stroke (DIAS) trial, an international trial to study an expanded time window for acute thrombolytic therapy in stroke. Dr. Gorelick has published over 250 papers and many medical books and chapters, and recently was

the lead author for an American Heart Association guidance statement on prevention of cognitive impairment and dementia by cardiovascular disease risk factor control (see Stroke Sept. 2011 issue).

“When we initiated the planning for the Hauenstein Center in 2006, our vision was to create a neuroscience program that would attract world class expertise to our community for the benefit of patients who need care for neurological disorders,” commented Ralph Hauenstein, for whom the Center is named. “It is gratifying to me to see that vision become a reality.”

Dr. Gorelick is married and has two children.

Saint Mary’s Health Care, a member of the new Mercy Health, is an integrated network of health care excellence offering a unique combination of capabilities to deliver a health care experience that is more complete and personally satisfying. Our commitment to offer the latest technology and most highly skilled physicians in a holistic, patient-centered environment has made us a progressive leader in cancer care, neuroscience, orthopedics, diabetes and endocrine care, kidney transplants, and integrative medicine.

The network encompasses more than 2,500 employees, a 336-bed, JCAHO-accredited teaching hospital, The Lacks Cancer Center, the area’s only dedicated cancer hospital, Saint Mary’s Southwest, The Wege Center for Health and Learning, the Diabetes and Endocrine Center, the Hauenstein Neuroscience Center housing the area’s most comprehensive neuroscience program and state-of-the-art Emergency and Trauma services, three fitness centers, five community outreach centers and affiliations with home health care, rehabilitation services, and the area's premier primary care network, Advantage Health Physician Network. Saint Mary’s is a member of Trinity Health, the country’s fourth-largest Catholic health care system.

APPOINTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL EXPERT ON STROKE AT HAUENSTEIN NEUROSCIENCE CENTER KEY FACTS

• Philip B. Gorelick, MD, will join Saint Mary’s Health Care as medical director of its neuroscience program, housed in the Hauenstein Neuroscience Center in February, 2012.
• Gorelick is an internationally known expert in the diagnosis, treatment, and research on stroke and has been recognized as one of the Top Stroke Neurologists in the United States; he has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his work on stroke and stroke prevention.
• He has been the John S. Garvin Professor and Head, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, since 2003; he has also had major appointments at Michael Reese Hospital and Rush Medical Center in Chicago. He has also held the Daniel Gainey Lectureship 2005 at Mayo Clinic.
• Gorelick has received the Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke 2004 from the American Heart Association and the National Stroke Association (NSA) Visionary in Stroke Award.
• The Hauenstein Neuroscience Center at Saint Mary’s provides comprehensive care for neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, spine disorders, sleep disorders, and stroke.
• Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in America and the No. 1 cause of adult disability; more than 750,000 adults have a new or recurrent stroke every year.

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