Cedars-Sinai Imaging Center Designated SHAPE Model Center of Excellence

HOUSTON, March 28, 2011 – SHAPE, The Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication ( http://www.shapesociety.org, a nonprofit organization that promotes early detection and preventive intervention to reduce heart attack risk, today recognized Cedars-Sinai’s S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center as a SHAPE Model Center of Excellence. The announcement coincides with American Heart Month, during which SHAPE is encouraging men over age 45 and women over age 55 to consider having an atherosclerosis test.

As a SHAPE Model Center of Excellence, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center is a leader in establishing and promoting best practices in heart attack screening. The Center’s work with SHAPE is led by Prediman K. Shah, MD, director of the Division of Cardiology at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, and Daniel S. Berman, MD, chief of Cardiac Imaging and Nuclear Cardiology at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and the S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center, both of whom have helped to revolutionize the field of preventive cardiology through their involvement with SHAPE and their promotion of responsible cardiovascular screening.

“We are thankful for the leadership of the S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center and we are proud to recognize their commitment to improving patient outcomes through early detection and primary prevention of coronary artery disease,” said JoAnne Zawitoski, chair of the SHAPE Board of Directors. “On the heels of American Heart Month, it is appropriate to make note of the strides being made at SHAPE Centers for Excellence toward preventing and, ultimately, eradicating heart attacks.”

SHAPE Centers of Excellence adhere to the First SHAPE Guideline for screening to identify hidden heart attack risk in apparently healthy individuals. The First SHAPE Guideline recommended two non-invasive atherosclerosis tests for at-risk men over age 45 and at-risk women over age 55: either coronary artery calcification scoring (CACS) by a computed tomography (CT) scan or carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) scanning by ultrasound. Both tests have been shown to assess an asymptomatic individual’s heart attack risk more effectively than relying on measuring risk factors such as cholesterol.

SHAPE Centers of Excellence focus on the prevention of a first heart attack -- especially in the vulnerable population , who are those at risk of a near future heart attack.

In addition to the S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center, SHAPE Centers of Excellence are located in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Australia. A complete list is posted at http://www.shapesociety.org/shapecertifiedcenter.html.

The SHAPE Centers of Excellence Program coincides with SHAPE Provider Certification. For more information about these certification programs for your practice or hospital, please contact Dr. Jeff Fine at (803) 360-4756 or jfine@jandjmedical.net.

The mission of SHAPE (www.shapesociety.org) is to eradicate heart attack by championing new strategies for prevention while advancing the scientific quest for a cure. SHAPE visualizes a world free from the threat of heart attack. The goals of SHAPE are to reduce the instances of heart attack - especially in the asymptomatic patient - through education programs presented to both healthcare professionals and the community. SHAPE believes that education and ongoing research are key elements in the success of programs designed to go beyond the norm in the early detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease.