VCU news

By Pamela DiSalvo Lepley
Division of University Relations

The Virginia Commonwealth University Health System is one of 173 medical centers nationwide to be named in U.S. News & World Report's 2007 rankings of America's Best Hospitals.

The VCU Health System was the only medical center or hospital in Central Virginia to be named among the best hospitals. The U.S. News & World Report annual survey evaluated nearly 5,500 hospitals, with fewer than 200 meeting the standard in one or more area.

In particular, the VCU Health System was noted for excellence treating patients in kidney disease, ranking 42^nd in the country.

"We are very pleased to have been selected by U.S. News & World Report as among the best medical centers in the country, and the only one in Central Virginia to be selected to this prestigious list," said Dr. Sheldon M. Retchin, CEO of the VCU Health System and VCU Vice President for Health Sciences, "We were also delighted to have been recognized as one of the top 42 medical centers in the country for kidney disease, reflecting the caliber of faculty and nursing expertise we have in this field."

The VCU Division of Nephrology, chaired by Dr. Todd Gehr, consists of a dedicated group of health care providers specializing in the care of patients with a variety of kidney disorders and hypertension. The division supports innovative inpatient and outpatient dialysis services at both the VCU and McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond.  Home dialysis, chronic kidney disease education and vascular access clinics are important additional initiatives of the division.  The division also is noted for medical care related to all kidney transplant patients of the VCU Health System.

VCU is among the nation's most active and successful kidney-transplant hospitals. Dr. Anne King in the Nephrology Division and Dr. Marc Posner, chair, Division of Transplantation surgery, lead a vibrant transplant program at VCU's Hume-Lee Transplant Center.  The VCU Hume-Lee Transplant Center performs more than 100 kidney transplants each year and has performed about 2,000 kidney transplants and 100 pancreas transplants for Type 1 diabetes.

A recent focus has been on preemptive transplantation – transplantation before dialysis – because patients tend to do better and have fewer interruptions in their lives. Innovative programs that also allow patients that formerly could not be transplanted obtain a successful kidney transplant are also supported.  Interdisciplinary teams of surgeons, nephrologists, nurses and laboratory technicians work together to provide excellent care for patients.

Dr. Domenic Sica, professor of internal medicine and nephrology, heads the clinical pharmacology and hypertension section.  Sica headed a research team at VCU that involved the first medical implantation device of its kind to treat resistant hypertension – making VCU the first medical center in Virginia to perform the surgical procedure and only the second in the country. Sica also has been recognized as the 2006 Master Clinician by the International Society of Hypertension in blacks.

The VCU Health System also provides comprehensive services to children suffering form various acute and chronic renal disorders. Dr. Vimal Chadha is chair of the Division of Pediatric Nephrology.