UC Irvine creates annual lectureship in honor of Dr. Marianne Cinat
Cinat honored for her skill and compassion as a trauma and critical care surgeon. She was director of the UC Irvine Regional Burn Center in Orange, Calif.
UC Irvine will honor the memory of Dr. Marianne Cinat by establishing an annual lectureship to highlight leading practices in burn care. Cinat, a trauma surgeon and longtime director of UC Irvine Regional Burn Center, died unexpectedly last June.
“Marianne Cinat dedicated herself to healing those with the most horrific and complex injuries, and her skill and compassion touched the lives of hundreds of burn survivors and their families,” said Dr. Michael J. Stamos, chair of UC Irvine’s Department of Surgery. “She remains an inspiration to those patients and her colleagues.”
A public dedication of a tree and plaque in honor of Cinat will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 1, in the Healing Garden in front of UC Irvine Douglas Hospital, followed by the Marianne Cinat Memorial Lecture at 5:30 p.m. in the medical center’s auditorium. Dr. Tam N. Pham of the University of Washington’s Harborview Medical Center will present “Reflections on Burn Care.”
Cinat completed her surgical residency and surgical critical-care fellowship at UC Irvine and, as director of UC Irvine Regional Burn Center, led the transition to a much-needed larger burn unit in UC Irvine Douglas Hospital in 2009. Her burn- and trauma-care work continues under acting burn unit director Dr. Nicole Bernal and a dedicated, compassionate team that includes surgeons, nurses, therapists and a social worker.
In addition to the annual lectureship, UC Irvine has created the Marianne Cinat Memorial Fund for Burn Survivors to support former patients of the burn center. Cinat often noted that being discharged from the hospital is only the beginning of recovery. UC Irvine’s burn survivor programs are designed to heal the spirit and promote a sense of community that allows patients to reintegrate into society knowing they are not alone.
Peer-to-peer support groups, pediatric burn camps, scholarships, summer picnics and holiday parties are just a few of the programs intended to help this special group of children and adults thrive. These efforts are funded solely through the generosity of the community and donations to the Marianne Cinat Memorial Fund.
A tireless advocate, Cinat served on the board of the Trauma Intervention Program of Orange County and was a 2009 recipient of its annual Heroes with Heart award, bestowed on healthcare and public safety personnel who demonstrate compassion for victims of trauma and their families above and beyond the call of duty. In 2011, the award was renamed for Cinat.
UC Irvine Regional Burn Center is one of the few burn centers in the U.S. verified by the American College of Surgeons. UC Irvine has led the nation in burn care with advanced surgical techniques, innovations in synthetic skin treatments and expert patient care. Each year, more than 600 people – a third of them children – are treated for burns of all kinds at UC Irvine Regional Burn Center.
About UC Irvine Medical Center: Orange County’s only university hospital, UC Irvine Medical Center offers acute- and general-care services at its new, 482,000-square-foot UC Irvine Douglas Hospital and is home to the county’s only Level I trauma center, American College of Surgeons-verified regional burn center and National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. U.S. News & World Report has included UC Irvine for 11 consecutive years on its list of America’s Best Hospitals, giving special recognition to its urology, gynecology, kidney disorders and cancer programs.
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UCI is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with nearly 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,000 staff. Orange County’s second-largest employer, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $4 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.
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