Media contact: Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Sciences Public Affairs, (813)974-3300 or abaier@hsc.usf.edu

Dr. Anne Curtis to head USF Heart Services

Tampa, FL (Feb. 24, 2005) -- Anne B. Curtis, MD, has been appointed Director of the Division of Cardiology, CEO of Heart Services and Professor of Medicine at the University of South Florida College of Medicine.  A specialist in the treatment of heart rhythm disorders, Dr. Curtis will begin full time at USF on April 18.

She was recruited from the University of Florida, where she has been a Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Electrophysiology. Dr. Curtis is president-elect of the Heart Rhythm Society, the nation's premier resource for science, education and advocacy for heart rhythm disorders — a leading cause of sudden death.

"I'm delighted to announce that our first integrated clinical and research program, in heart health, will be led by Dr. Curtis, who is nationally recognized for her expertise in electrophysiology of the heart," said Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, dean of the College of Medicine and vice president for Health Sciences. "I'm looking forward to transforming heart services into a model for the college, and to working closely with Dr. Curtis as she builds the cardiology division."

"Our vision of patient services is focused on quality, safety and the latest research," Dr. Curtis said. "With our hospital partners, USF can build heart services that will be a model for our students and a benefit to the health of our patients."

A native of Brooklyn, Dr. Curtis earned her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. She completed an internal medicine residency at Presbyterian Hospital in New York and fellowships in cardiovascular diseases and clinical cardiac electrophysiology at Duke University Medical Center.

Dr. Curtis currently leads 14 clinical studies as a principal investigator or co- investigator, including trials of techniques and medical devices, such as defibrillators and pacemakers, to treat abnormal heart rhythms. She has authored 86 scientific papers and 70 book chapters or reviews.

- USF -

Responding to demand from Tampa's community leaders, the University of South Florida College of Medicine was established by the Florida Legislature in 1965. Part of the USF Health Sciences Center, doctors and researchers were awarded $116.6 million in grants and contracts last year. Providing advanced medical care, USF Physicians Group at the College of Medicine is the largest doctor group in West Central Florida offering expert medical care throughout Tampa Bay's finest hospitals such as Tampa General Hospital, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center and All Children's Hospital. With a reputation for training high performing clinical physicians, the College is proud that more than half of its physician-graduates remain in Florida to practice medicine.