UW Medicine’s Harborview Medical Center has been designated as the first and only Clinical Center in the Pacific Northwest by the Alliance to Cure Cavernous Malformations.
This recognition highlights Harborview’s multidisciplinary approach to treating patients with cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). The Alliance, a patient- and family-advocacy organization dedicated to raising awareness of and supporting research for a cavernous malformation cure, has named only four Clinical Centers nationwide.
Also known as a cerebral cavernous angioma or cavernoma, these malformations are raspberry-shaped collections of abnormal blood vessels. The vessels have thin, leaky walls and typically form in the brain and spinal cord. These malformations can grow and hemorrhage at any age, including during childhood. Symptoms typically appear between ages 20 and 40.
Harborview’s coordinated approach to healthcare includes experts from its Comprehensive Stroke Center, Neurosciences Institute and Regional Vascular Center. Alongside the UW Medicine Center for Stroke and Applied Neuroscience (SANS), the team, led by Chief of Neurological Surgery Louis Kim, MD, MBA is committed to exemplary patient care and conducting research that moves us closer to a universal cure.
“We are sincerely honored by this recognition and are more determined than ever to deliver the absolute highest level of neurosurgical and clinical care to our patients with cavernous malformations,” says Dr. Kim. “Our secret to success has been the multidisciplinary team-based approach to treatment that maximizes the best outcomes.”
To earn the Clinical Center designation, Harborview had to meet several criteria, including streamlining its appointment process for patients. The new system schedules all visits during one call and spreads them out over no more than two days to reduce potential travel time for out-of-town patients. In addition, the facility brought on several clinical leaders, including:
- Louis Kim, MD, MBA, SANS Executive Director and Neurosurgeon
- Laligam Sekhar, MD, Cerebrovascular Neurosurgeon
- Michael Levitt, MD, Cerebrovascular Neurosurgeon
- David Tirschwell, MD, Cerebrovascular Neurologist
- Nicholas Poolos, MD, PhD, Epileptologist
- Fuki Hisama, MD, Geneticist
- Jonathan Medverd, MD, Radiologist
- Samantha Hershey, RN, Nurse Manager
Adding Harborview as a CCM Clinical Center will greatly enhance care for patients in the Pacific Northwest, says Connie Lee, PsyD, chief executive officer of the Alliance to Cure Cavernous Malformation.
“We are pleased to welcome UW Medicine’s Harborview Medical Center into our network of recognized CCM Clinical Centers,” she says. “Dr. Kim and his team’s integrated, expert care addresses a critical need for patients with cerebral cavernous malformations far beyond the greater Seattle area.”