Anthony Caffarelli, M.D., Named as Newkirk Family Endowed Chair in Aortic Care
On Wednesday, September 26, Hoag Hospital Foundation held an Endowed Chair Investiture ceremony to appoint Anthony Caffarelli, M.D., director of Hoag Aortic Center and co-director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Hoag, as the Newkirk Family Endowed Chair in Aortic Care. The event honored decades-long friends and long-time supporters of Hoag, Martha and Jim Newkirk.
Martha and Jim were inspired to establish the Endowed Chair to recognize Dr. Caffarelli’s leading-edge work in aortic valve repair. The Newkirk’s gift will enable Dr. Caffarelli to contribute more to the field of research, train staff and educate and treat patients.
During his tenure at Hoag to date, Dr. Caffarelli has pioneered innovations that are improving and saving lives. He established a genetic testing protocol for family members to determine risk for disease. As a result, 950 patients are enrolled in the high-risk aortic disease program where they are closely monitored and taught how to proactively manage their health. He also assembled a multi-disciplinary outpatient team that provides surveillance for over 700 patients enrolled in the Aneurysm Clinic. Thanks to his leadership, Hoag is one of only 24 U.S. hospitals that perform over 50 surgical procedures for aortic aneurysms each year.
“Dr. Caffarelli is a surgeon of great passion and vision,” said Robert Braithwaite, president and CEO of Hoag. “His commitment to patients goes beyond description. He’s our ‘Plus One’ guy who takes the standards of excellence one step further. Tonight, is our tribute to the excellence Tony has brought to Hoag and to our community.”
Before expressing his heart-felt gratitude to the Newkirk family, to his team at the Aortic Center and to his wife and kids, Dr. Caffarelli joked, “I'd rather be in the operating room than about to give a speech. It is extremely humbling to stand up here. But tonight is not about us. It is about the patients we will treat.”
Flynn A. Andrizzi, Ph.D., president of Hoag Hospital Foundation, said the gift from the Newkirks will provide exponential benefits to our community. “The Newkirk’s remarkable generosity changes the trajectory and level of care we offer at Hoag. Endowed chairs help Hoag deliver on our promise to provide world-class health care right here in our own community.”
With the Newkirks’ generous gift, Hoag now has 13 endowed chairs in several specialties including cancer, cardiac care, memory loss and cognitive impairment, neurosciences, cardiovascular surgery, gastrointestinal disease, diabetes, breast care and women’s health services.
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