Patient Care

"I think much of CRF's strength comes from the fact that most of our key people are practicing physicians. We are known for wanting to do what is right for our patients. We bring the same passion to our research, helping to develop effective therapies for patients with serious cardiovascular disorders."

Gregg W. Stone, MD
Vice Chairman / Director of Cardiovascular Research and Education,
Cardiovascular Research Foundation,
Interventional Cardiologist, Columbia University Medical Center

CRF clinical investigators, in partnership with the Columbia University Medical Center interventional practice, are leaders in most of the innovative, cutting edge clinical trials in cardiovascular medicine. Employing the latest investigational technologies in these trials allows the physicians at CRF to expand the scope of treatments available for patients with debilitating heart disease, especially those who have exhausted all other alternatives.

CRF is currently leading trials in drug-eluting stents and stent grafts, distal protection devices, vascular brachytherapy, new strategies for acute myocardial infarction and acute coronary syndromes, gene and protein angiogenesis for end-stage heart disease, stem cell implantation techniques, novel imaging modalities, and more. (For definitions of these terms, please see the Glossary.)

CRF is currently involved in a number of exciting, forward-looking programs, most notably the Women's Cardiovascular Health Initiative. This initiative has been designed to address the alarming incidence of cardiovascular disease among women. The fact that heart disease is by far the leading cause of death in women is largely unrecognized by the general public.

Patient care is central to CRF's mission. The foundation's goal, throughout its research and education programs, is to prolong patients' lives and to improve their quality of life.