Surgeon garners appointment at largest federal funding source
May 21, 2015
MUSC Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery Appointed Chair of NIH Review Committee
.
CHARLESOTN, SC – John Ikonomidis, M.D., Ph.D., chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), will serve a two-year term as chairman of the Bioengineering, Technology and Surgical Sciences (BTSS) Study Section for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review (CSR) beginning July 1, 2015.
The NIH is the largest source of funding for biomedical research in the world, and the NIH peer review model relies on partnerships with academic medical schools. The CSR ensures that NIH grant applications receive fair, independent, expert and timely reviews thereby allowing NIH to fund cutting-edge research that can lead to new treatments.
“This is indeed a prestigious position and one with great responsibility,” said K. Craig Kent, M.D., A.R. Curreri Professor of Surgery and chairman of the Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and current chairman of the BTSS Study Section at NIH. “Millions of dollars are provided through this study section to researchers throughout the country and assuring that the review process is fair and provides resources to the most meritorious of investigators are the responsibility of the chair. Dr. Ikonomidis is a natural leader and as such was the obvious choice for the next chair.”
During Ikonomidis’ five years of service in the BTSS Study Section at NIH, he participated in more than 150 reviews. He currently serves as vice-chairman for the BTSS Study Section as well as the Data and Safety Monitoring Board of the Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network of the NIH.
“In addition to being an outstanding clinical surgeon, Dr. Ikonomidis is an accomplished scientist with many years of NIH funding and peer-reviewed publications,” said Fred A. Crawford, Jr., M.D., distinguished university professor of Surgery and the former Horace G. Smithy Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at MUSC. “To be named to this study section is prestigious in its own right but to be selected as chairperson is true recognition of his status as a surgical scientist. This appointment brings national recognition to the Department of Surgery and to MUSC.”
Ikonomidis is the current Horace G. Smithy Professor and chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina. He is program director of MUSC’s Cardiothoracic Surgical Residency, which runs traditional three-year and integrated six-year programs, as well as director of MUSC’s Heart and Vascular Service Line. Ikonomidis’ research has been continuously funded by the NIH for the past ten years. His basic research interests include the study of thoracic aortic aneurysms in patients with different risk factors. Ikonomidis has 130 publications in print or in press.
“I’m extremely honored by this appointment,” Ikonomidis said. “I am really pleased with the opportunity to participate at the chair level. My goal as an academician is to advance the reputation of MUSC wherever and whenever possible and this appointment will raise the level of prestige with unforeseen benefits.”
Supporting the first level of a two-step review process, a scientific review group, such as the BTSS Study Section, consisting of a panel of expert non-federal scientists, evaluates a set of grant applications. More specifically, the BTSS Study Section reviews grant applications in the interdisciplinary fields of surgery and bioengineering to develop innovative medical instruments, materials, processes, implants, and devices to diagnosis and treat disease and injury. The commitment in scientific review groups from participating reviewers is significant, upholding the rigors and fairness to all proposals. Service on a study section also requires mature judgment and objectivity as well as the ability to work effectively in a group, according to Richard Nakamura, Ph.D., director of the Center for Scientific Review.
“To lead an NIH Study Section is a huge accomplishment for any scientist — and to be a Cardiothoracic Division chief and a busy heart surgeon is unparalleled in American surgery,” said David B. Adams, M.D., interim chairman of the MUSC Department of Surgery. “This represents not just a singular accomplishment for Dr. Ikonomidis, but also a fruition of the seeds that were laid in the Department of Surgery and the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery by Dr. Fred Crawford and President David Cole. It is what MUSC is all about and why we all work together to teach, to do research, and to put patients first every day.”
The impact of the CSR is meaningful with the prevention of 1.35 million deaths annually due to NIH research advances in treating or preventing cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. “We congratulate Dr. Ikonomidis on his appointment to serve as chairperson of the Bioengineering, Technology and Surgical Sciences Study Section of the Nation Institutes of Health,” said Deborah Deas, M.D., MUSC College of Medicine interim dean, and Bruce Elliott, M.D., MUSC interim vice-president for medical affairs. “This underscores Dr. Ikonomidis’ contribution to science and we are sure that he will do a great job. This opportunity will allow him to contribute nationally to the biomedical research effort.”
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 13,000 employees, including approximately 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.7 billion. MUSC operates a 750-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), Hollings Cancer Center (one of 68 National Cancer Institute designated centers) Level I Trauma Center and Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu. For more information on hospital patient services, visit www.muschealth.org.
