Press Release
Abbott Launches Crossroads Institute in Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa
Focused on Improving Care for Patients with Cardiac and Vascular Disease
Barcelona, Spain, May 24, 2007 — Abbott today announced the launch of the Crossroads Institute for cardiac and vascular medical education at the EuroPCR 2007 meeting in Barcelona. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium and with established facilities in Tokyo, Japan and Johannesburg, South Africa, the Crossroads Institute features a teaching faculty of more than 100 worldwide experts focused on providing the latest in medical education to advance the treatment of patients with cardiac and vascular disease.
Formerly the Guidant Institute for Therapy Advancement, the newly named Crossroads Institute, a medical education initiative from Abbott Vascular, offers more than 70 courses on cardiac and vascular treatment developed and led by participating faculty members, with 50 of the courses CME-accredited. Featuring discussion forums with physician experts, the Crossroads Institute offers high-touch teaching methodologies with virtual simulators and a virtual in-house catheterization lab to help physicians learn the latest in cardiac and vascular treatment methodologies. In addition, the Crossroads Institute offers live case broadcasts from neighboring hospitals, to bring real-time catheterization lab events into forums for discussion, which are moderated by world-renowned cardiac and vascular disease treatment experts.
"The Crossroads Institute represents a best in class medical education facility, from which healthcare professionals at all levels across Europe can benefit," said Professor Jean Marco, M.D., course director for the Crossroads Institute. "To date, more than 12,000 physicians have participated in educational programs at the Crossroads Institute. A key element to the programs is providing physicians with treatment strategies that will ultimately improve patient care."
The medical education program at the Crossroads Institute is led by Professor Jean Marco of the Centre Cardio-thoracique in Monaco and Dr. Luc Stockx of the Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg in Belgium, who developed an educational program to offer healthcare professionals patient-focused training on the latest subjects and techniques in cardiac and vascular care.
"With peer-to-peer interaction and hands-on experience with state of the art technology, the mission of the Crossroads Institute is to provide healthcare professionals with unbiased training that makes patient care a first priority," said Dr. Stockx, course director for the Crossroads Institute.
About the Crossroads Institute
Providing leadership in interventional medical education since 2000, the Crossroads Institute was the first medical learning institute of its kind established in the world to advance the open exchange of information about cardiac and vascular care in order to help healthcare professionals improve the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease. The Crossroads Institute is a world class medical education facility funded by Abbott and headquartered in Brussels, Belgium with offices in Tokyo, Japan and Johannesburg, South Africa. For more information about The Crossroads Institute, phone +32-2-714-14-65 or visit www.crossroads-institute.com.
About Abbott Vascular
Abbott Vascular, a division of Abbott, is one of the world's leading vascular care businesses. Abbott Vascular is uniquely focused on advancing the treatment of vascular disease and improving patient care by combining the latest medical device innovations with world-class pharmaceuticals, investing in research and development, and advancing medicine through training and education. Headquartered in Northern California, Abbott Vascular offers a comprehensive portfolio of vessel closure, endovascular and coronary products that are recognized internationally for their safety and effectiveness in treating patients with vascular disease. Learn more about Abbott Vascular.
About Abbott
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs 65,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.
| Media: Karin Bauer Aranaz |
(650) 868-2999 |
