The Mary Weinfeld Professor of Clinical Research in Hemophilia
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, New York
Louis M. Aledort, MD, The Mary Weinfeld Professor of Clinical Research in Hemophilia at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, has been a member of that faculty since his licensure as a physician in 1966. A hematologist specializing in hemophilia, he has contributed to patient well-being through research, advocacy and clinical care.
A graduate of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine who received his residency training in internal medicine at the University of Virginia and at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, he has long been active in research. The author of over 300 articles, he has made contributions in areas ranging from the psychological problems of hemophilia patients to the development of AIDS and hepatitis as a consequence of multiple blood transfusions. He is presently co-investigator for the National Cancer Institute study of hepatitis C.
In 1968, Dr. Aledort established Mount Sinai's Hemophilia Clinic, which was soon recognized as an international hemophilia training center and has trained multidisciplinary teams for hemophilia centers throughout the world. This center has been designated as a World Health Organization Global Cooperating Training Center in Coagulation Diseases. A center in São Paulo has been named in Dr. Aledort's honor.
A strong voice for patient care, Dr. Aledort led the way in obtaining congressional appropriations for regional treatment centers and helped to make third party carriers in New York City aware of the need to provide treatment that maintains patients' function. He has worked with national and international groups to make clotting materials available to patients and helped to develop an international educational program for patients and their physicians.
He served as Vice Chairman of the Department of Medicine for 15 years and as a Dean for 6 years at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Formerly Chairman of the Practice Committee of the American Society of Hematology, he was also on their education committee and is a member of several other government groups. He has long been active in organizations that include the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis and the World Federation of Hemophilia.
His work has been recognized by many groups, including Mount Sinai's Department of Medicine, from which he received the Solomon Berson Award for Best Teacher in Medicine, as well as the Department of Nursing, which honored him with their Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to their group. In October 1996, the Department of Medicine presented him with the Distinguished Educator Award for his outstanding contributions to their clinical and educational programs. Recipient of the National Hemophilia Foundation's Murray Thelin Science Award, he was honored by that organization with a Festschrift. The event was held in Washington on September 13, 1986, which was proclaimed by Mount Sinai as "Lou Aledort Day." In March 1998, a symposium on National, Cultural, and Economic Considerations Affecting Diagnostic and Treatment Practices in Hemophilia Throughout the Americas was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico which featured a Tribute Dinner to Louis M. Aledort, MD. In 2004, Dr. Aledort was awarded Mastership in the American College of Physicians.
Dr. Aledort has been actively involved in community activities. He is on the Visiting Nurse Service as a medical director. He is the Vice President of the Irvington Institute for Immunological Research. Before moving to New York, he was the Director of the Department of Health in Tenafly, New Jersey. He also served as the Medical Director of the National Hemophilia Foundation for 15 years.