Mount Sinai’s Leading Cardiologist Releases Report on the Future of Global Health to Presidential Administration
A committee co-chaired by Mount Sinai’s top cardiologist proposed 14 recommendations today to deliver a strong global health strategy and to allow the United States to maintain its role as a global health leader.
The Consensus Committee on Global Health and the Future of the United States was established by the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the current global health landscape and examine how U.S. global health resources can be used more effectively and responsively. Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, was the committee’s co-chair.
The report found that the United States has long been a leader in global health, yet resources are not unlimited, and the case for continued commitment must be made. An overview of the committee’s report is available here.
"Investing in global health can save the lives of millions of children and result in positive returns on investment," said Dr. Fuster. "On the one hand we have security threats, and on the other hand we have the opportunity for shared solutions to common problems."
“Chronic illnesses like heart disease and cancer also continue to be a worldwide problem,” Dr. Fuster added. "Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer with 18 million deaths." He noted that the global cost is expected to reach more than $1 trillion by 2030. "The cost is huge and we are not responding."
Dr. Fuster is a past president of both the American Heart Association and the World Heart Federation. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, where he served as Chair of the Committee on Preventing the Global Epidemic of Cardiovascular Disease, and was a member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Council.
Dr. Fuster is an author of about 1,000 research articles and has received honorary doctorate degrees from 33 distinguished universities throughout the world.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.
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