Montefiore Medical Innovation History

OUR HISTORY OF FIRSTS.

Here are just some of our innovations that have enhanced patients’ lives, across the country and around the world.

Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care

First Cardiac Pacemaker
  • Developed the world’s first transvenous cardiac pacemaker
  • Performed the world’s first coronary bypass operation
  • One of the first in the world to implant a cardioverter defibrillator to treat irregular heartbeats
  • Heart transplant survival rates that rival the best in the nation

Children’s Hospital at Montefiore

Childrens Medical Innovations
  • Performed the world’s first successful operation to separate twins joined at the top of the head
  • First in New York State to perform a hybrid procedure to repair a baby’s heart. This has resulted in less invasive surgeries and faster recovery times for the infant patients
  • Only center for Rett and Williams syndromes in the tri-state area, providing care to children with these rare and complex conditions

Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care

Innovative Cancer Treatments
  • Helped develop Taxol, a breakthrough breast, lung, and ovarian cancer drug, by describing how a molecule in Taxol worked to kill cancer cells and participating in Taxol’s clinical development
  • Pioneers in minimally invasive robotic surgery for head and neck cancer
  • Established the first specialized program in the New York area targeting endocrine and neuroendocrine tumors. One of the few centers in the country to treat complex tumors of the thyroid, pancreas, adrenal gland, and GI tract

Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation

Montefiore Transplant Centers
  • Performed one of the nation’s first pediatric kidney transplants
  • The first in the U.S. to establish a dedicated pediatric transplant program, which included a kidney dialysis unit
  • One of the first dedicated comprehensive liver centers in the country, including the longest NIH-funded liver research center

To learn more about our history of firsts in innovation, click here.