February 14, 2011

Andrew S. Wechsler, MD, Stanley K. Brockman Professor and chairman of the Department of Cardiothoraic Surgery, has received the Edward S. Cooper, MD Award from the American Heart Association for his contributions to the advancement of cardiothoracic medicine in the Delaware Valley. Dr. Wechsler was formally presented with the award at the 2011 Philadelphia Heart Ball on February 12.

Dr. Wechsler is regarded as one of the most prominent cardiac surgeons in the nation. He has been in practice for more than 40 years and just last year received the award for outstanding scientific achievement from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Presently an advisor to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for cardiac surgery and a member of the New York State Advisory Board on Cardiac Care, Dr. Wechsler also received the Glenn Award, the highest award for cardiac surgeons presented by the Heart Association.

"I've worked with Andrew Wechsler for a number of years now and I'm proud to be associated with him," said Howard Eisen, MD, chief of the Division of Cardiology at Drexel University College of Medicine. "Because of the work he's done in the field of cardiac medicine, there is no one more deserving of this accolade."

Dr. Wechsler has served as Visiting Professor at more than 50 institutions nationally and internationally. He has been named one of the nation's "Best Doctors" for the past 20 years. He is the Editor Emeritus of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and has authored or co-authored over 330 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 59 book chapters, and 29 books and monographs. Prior to assuming the Chair at Drexel, he served as the Stuart McGuire Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia and before that was Professor of Surgery and Physiology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

The Edward S. Cooper Award is presented by the American Heart Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania to an individual whose many outstanding contributions to the Philadelphia community exemplify the best of humankind. The award is named for Dr. Edward S. Cooper, the first African American to serve as national president of the American Heart Association. Dr. Cooper is a world renowned physician and a pioneer in hypertension and stroke.