Mount Sinai Announces Partnership With the Brazilian Clinical Research Institute to Advance Cardiovascular Disease Research and Medical Education

Newswise — (New York, NY – September 6, 2023) – The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Brazilian Clinical Research Institute (BCRI) to focus on advancing cardiovascular disease research, innovation, and medical education.

“This partnership is part of a broader initiative to expand Mount Sinai Heart’s reach globally, and Latin America is an important part of that goal,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Dr. Valentin Fuster Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Icahn Mount Sinai. “Our partnership with BCRI represents an incredible opportunity for improving cardiovascular health and education in Latin America.”

The affiliation between the two institutions aims to enhance the understanding, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease, and develop new strategies to combat this global health challenge.

Under this partnership, Mount Sinai and BCRI will launch international research programs and clinical trials on heart disease, including a focus on preventing and treating heart attacks and strokes. Goals also include designing innovative clinical trials that are more efficient and cost effective, with results that have a positive impact on human health.

“This visionary collaboration is essential for our region of the world to improve clinical practice and reduce health disparities,” explained Thomas Almeida, Chief Executive Officer of BCRI. “Additionally, this long-term initiative of a comprehensive and integrated ecosystem of clinical research, education, and clinical practice will enhance both national and international opportunities for public and private funding.”

The partnership also involves unique international educational programs, in which medical students, residents, fellows, and physicians from Latin America will travel to Mount Sinai Heart in New York City to learn advanced techniques in a number of areas, including interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, cardio-oncology, and heart failure.

“This Memorandum of Understanding is the start of a true partnership between BCRI and Icahn Mount Sinai,” said Renato D. Lopes, MD, PhD, the BCRI’s founder. “We are confident that by combining our expertise in clinical research and education, we can contribute to advancing knowledge and training the new generation of physician-scientists in Latin America.”

“This is an exciting partnership that will allow Icahn Mount Sinai to bring its expertise in research, education, and clinical care to Latin America. We look forward to promising collaborations with our colleagues at BCRI,” explains Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of Icahn Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs of the Mount Sinai Health System.

”This unique initiative will positively influence the education and clinical research enterprise as well as help to change the paradigm of clinical practice in Latin America,” added Luis Natel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of BCRI.

About Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai:

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the eight-member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United States, providing care to a large and diverse patient population. 

Ranked No. 14 nationwide in National Institutes of Health funding and in the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Icahn Mount Sinai has a talented, productive, and successful faculty. More than 3,000 full-time scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across 34 academic departments and 44 multidisciplinary institutes, a structure that facilitates tremendous collaboration and synergy. Our emphasis on translational research and therapeutics is evident in such diverse areas as genomics/big data, virology, neuroscience, cardiology, geriatrics, and gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

Icahn Mount Sinai offers highly competitive MD, PhD, and master’s degree programs, with current enrollment of approximately 1,300 students. It has the largest graduate medical education program in the country, with more than 2,600 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. In addition, more than 535 postdoctoral research fellows are in training within the Health System.

A culture of innovation and discovery permeates every Icahn Mount Sinai program. Mount Sinai’s technology transfer office, one of the largest in the country, partners with faculty and trainees to pursue optimal commercialization of intellectual property to ensure that Mount Sinai discoveries and innovations translate into health care products and services that benefit the public.

Icahn Mount Sinai’s commitment to breakthrough science and clinical care is enhanced by academic affiliations that supplement and complement the School’s programs. Through Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai. Additionally, MSIP develops research partnerships with industry leaders such as Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and others.

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is located in New York City on the border between the Upper East Side and East Harlem, and classroom teaching takes place on a campus facing Central Park. Icahn Mount Sinai’s location offers many opportunities to interact with and care for diverse communities. Learning extends well beyond the borders of our physical campus, to the eight hospitals of the Mount Sinai Health System, our academic affiliates, and globally.

——————————————————-

* Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Beth Israel; Mount Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

About Brazilian Clinical Research Institute

The Brazilian Clinical Research Institute is the first Academic Research Organization (ARO) created in Latin America more than 15 years ago. It was founded with the objective of enhancing and formalizing both scientific and operational expertise in clinical research, respecting national and international ethical principles and regulations. It is a non-profit organization working closely with major academic and private hospitals in Latin America, and maintained by RT Participacoes Societarias Ltda, which is also the controller of the educational platform – Gallen Academy. BCRI mission is to develop and share knowledge that improves the care, health, and quality of life of patients in Brazil and Latin America through innovative clinical research while contributing meaningfully to the improvement of patient care around the world. BCRI is the leading ARO in Latin America with over 80,000 patients enrolled in more than 50 clinical studies, including government sponsored studies by the NIH.

Some features of the BCRI include a strong academic leadership in different therapeutic areas and consolidated partnerships with local regulatory agencies, key opinion leaders, and national and international Universities. BCRI has a highly-qualified and experienced operational team with an excellent understanding of the regulatory requirements in Brazil and Latin America, and a strong commitment to improve clinical practice and outcomes of patients. In addition, we provide state of the art continuing medical education and offer training programs for physician- scientists in several areas, including clinical research methodology. Through an integrated ecosystem of clinical research and education, BCRI has significantly contributed to high-quality data generation in Latin America as well as to the training of the next generation of physician-scientists, leading to better patient care.

###