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Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Noted Cleveland Clinic Surgeon, Author, to Speak at UB, ECMC

Release Date: March 9, 2010

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., MD, a nationally known former surgeon, researcher and clinician at the Cleveland Clinic, will discuss his 20-year plant-based nutritional study at a city-wide medical grand rounds lecture on March 18 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the Smith Auditorium on the 3rd floor of Erie County Medical Center (ECMC).

Esselstyn currently directs the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Reversal Program at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. His research has shown that a diet based on plants and free of oils can prevent, stop the progression and reverse the effects of heart disease.

His appearance is hosted by William Boden, MD, UB professor of medicine and preventive medicine at the University at Buffalo and chief of Kaleida Health's Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Prior to his ECMC presentation, Esselstyn will discuss "Becoming Heart Attack Proof" at noon in 2 Diefendorf Hall, UB South Campus. Sponsored by the UB Department of Health Behavior, the lecture is free and open to the public.

At ECMC, Esselstyn will discuss "Arrest and Reversal: The Preferred Treatment for Cardiovascular Disease."

Esselstyn has been associated with the Cleveland Clinic since 1968, and carried out a distinguished career there. He served as president of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons in 1991, and organized the first National Conference on the Elimination of Coronary Artery Disease, held in Tucson, Ariz. He chaired a follow-up conference -- the Summit on Cholesterol and Coronary Disease -- in 1997.

Esselstyn became the first recipient of the Benjamin Spock Award for Compassion in Medicine in 2005 and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Cleveland Clinic Alumni Association in 2009. He has published extensively.

The patients in Esselstyn's initial study came to him with advanced coronary artery disease, and despite aggressive treatment, several were told by their cardiologists they had less than a year to live. Esselstyn reports that on his program, cholesterol levels, angina symptoms and blood flow improved dramatically, and that those who complied with the diet remained symptom-free at the end of the 12-year study.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.