David Nevins Interviews Paul Gurbel, M.D., Director of the Center for Thrombosis Research at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore

Dr. Paul A Gurbel received his undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University and MD at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Duke University and fellowships in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University and in Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology at Duke University, where he was the Chief Resident in Internal Medicine.

In 1990 he instituted the University of Maryland interventional cardiology training program and was their first Director of Interventional Cardiology. In 1997 he came to Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and instituted the Sinai Center for Thrombosis Research and Drug Development where he is the Director. His research focused on defining the effects of antiplatelet agents, antiplatelet agent development and understanding the relation of platelet reactivity to blood clotting events in patients with cardiovascular disease.

The Center soon became recognized as one of the world’s leaders in thrombosis research and pioneered the concept of personalizing antiplatelet therapy based on functional and genetic analyses. Seminal research by his team demonstrated the need for more effective antiplatelet agents. His team’s findings have influenced practice guidelines of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and European Society of Cardiology.

The Center works closely with private industry to develop novel antiplatelet agents and diagnostics and has played a pivotal role in the development of the now approved agents, Effient and Brilinta. Both are available worldwide to treat patients with high risk cardiovascular disease. The pharmacodynamic properties of Brilinta, defined by the investigations conducted in Dr. Gurbel’s lab, are part of the FDA labelling for the drug.

Currently Dr. Gurbel is the Director of Cardiovascular Research at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. He holds Professor of Medicine appointments at the Johns Hopkins University and Duke University. He is certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. On February 19, 2016 he was awarded Doctor Honoris Causa from the Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland, for outstanding academic achievements in the field of thrombosis research. He serves on the editorial boards for multiple journals and has been an advisory board member of many pharmaceutical companies. His concepts and research results have been published in thousands of abstracts, manuscripts, monographs, books and book chapters and Dr. Gurbel has authored over 500 articles in peer-reviewed journals. This year he was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Johns Hopkins University.In addition to prolific research, Dr. Gurbel remains one of the busiest cardiac interventionalists on the East Coast. Dr. Gurbel has been recognized by US News World Report, The Washington Post Magazine, Best Doctors, and other publications as being one of the leading physicians in the United States.

David Nevins is president & CEO of Nevins & Associates, a highly regarded strategic communications company and proactive public relations partner. The firm’s regional and national client base is a unique mix of organizations across a variety of industries including: healthcare, professional service firms, finance, not-for-profits, distributors, state agencies, national media companies, technology, political and grassroots campaigns, real estate development, sporting events, and more.

With more than 30 years of experience in marketing, public relations, and community and government relations, David is a talented and seasoned executive. Prior to founding Nevins & Associates in 1983, David served as the Director of Marketing for both Towson University and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, he was tapped by the CEO of Comcast to employ his marketing expertise as President of the company’s regional sports network, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. David is a Past President of the Board of Governors for the Center Club and is a former Chairman of the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland, a position to which he was appointed by the Governor of Maryland. David has chaired the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission and the Maryland Higher Education Loan Corporation, served as President of both the Jewish National Fund and the Towson Business Association and was a member of the PNC Bank board.

David is highly involved in the business, civic, and political communities, and his many years of active leadership in numerous organizations have built a network of contacts that he regularly puts to use for the firm’s clients. For more information, visit www.nevinspr.com.