Benjamin Abella
Benjamin S. Abella | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Physician, academic, researcher |
| Years active | Early 2000s–present |
| Known for | Emergency medicine, resuscitation science, targeted temperature management |
Benjamin S. Abella is a distinguished American physician specializing in emergency medicine, internal medicine, academia, and scientific investigation. He currently holds the position of system chair for Emergency Medicine at the Mount Sinai Health System located in New York City.[1] Prior to this role, he was the William G. Baxt Professor and Vice Chair for Research within the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also led the Center for Resuscitation Science and the Penn Acute Research Collaboration.[2] His expertise contributed to shaping global CPR protocols.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
With a publication record exceeding 200 peer-reviewed articles, Abella has extensively researched topics including cardiac arrest, myocardial blood flow, therapeutic hypothermia, CPR techniques, and resuscitation science.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name He holds fellowship status with both the American Heart Association and the European Resuscitation Council.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Early life and education
Raised in Hyde Park, Chicago, Abella is the son of two university academics: his father Isaac Abella taught physics at the University of Chicago, while his mother Mary Ann Abella was an Art professor at Chicago State University. He has a sibling named Sarah Abella. During his secondary education, he achieved third place nationally in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Abella completed his undergraduate studies in Biochemistry at Washington University in St. Louis in 1992. He then earned an M.Phil. in Genetics from the University of Cambridge in 1993, followed by an M.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1998.[2]
Career
Beginning his academic career at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Emergency Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the early 2000s, Abella advanced to Associate Professor by 2013 and attained full Professorship in 2017. Between 2007 and 2017, he served as co-chair for the Hospital Clinical Emergencies Committee and held the position of Vice Chair for Research. In 2016, he was appointed Director of both the Center for Resuscitation Science and the Penn Acute Research Collaboration.
From 2015 to 2017, he led the American Heart Association’s Council on Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care and Resuscitation as its chair and co-chaired its Resuscitation Science Symposium from 2014 through 2022. Additionally, Abella contributed to the Obama campaign’s Medical Advisory Board.
His media appearances include national platforms such as Good Morning America and National Geographic; he collaborated with Sanjay Gupta on CNN’s documentary Cheating Death and was featured in Gupta’s book bearing the same title.
Currently, Abella provides expert consultation on emergency medical care for the National Basketball Association. In 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro appointed him to serve on the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine. The following year, he assumed his current role as system chair of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System.
Research
Abella’s investigative efforts concentrate on sudden cardiac arrest, myocardial perfusion dynamics, targeted temperature management (TTM), assessment of CPR quality, and neurological recovery following cardiac arrest. He established the Penn TTM Academy, an educational program dedicated to post-arrest treatment protocols and TTM techniques.
Targeted temperature management (TTM)
Abella has played a pivotal role in advancing clinical applications of TTM following cardiac arrest by outlining comprehensive management strategies for patients surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. He created a widely recognized animal model to explore post-arrest temperature control therapies and was among the pioneers to demonstrate that initiating TTM during cardiac arrest markedly enhances patient outcomes, which catalyzed further clinical research trials.
CPR administration and resuscitation outcomes
Abella's studies revealed that CPR effectiveness improved significantly when utilizing an integrated training method known as “RAPID” post-arrest training combined with immediate audiovisual feedback, which led to higher rates of spontaneous circulation restoration. During the early 2010s, Abella highlighted the critical role of CPR quality, promoting actionable techniques such as real-time CPR monitoring, physiological assessment, and metronome guidance to boost resuscitation success.
Awards and honors
- 2004 - Academic Excellence Award, Emergency Medicine Residents Association
- 2007 - Operational Quality Award for Post-Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation and Hypothermia, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
- 2008 - Health Breakthrough Award, Ladies Home Journal magazine
- 2011 - Fabien Vickrey MD Memorial Award in Emergency Medicine, York Hospital
- 2015 - William Montgomery, MD Excellence in Education Award
- 2017 - 3CPR Distinguished Service Award, American Heart Association
- 2018 - Practitioner of the Year Award, Philadelphia County Medical Society
Selected publications
- Abella BS, Alvarado JP, Myklebust H, Edelson DP, Barry A, O'Hearn N, Vanden Hoek TL, Becker LB. Quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation during in-hospital cardiac arrest. JAMA. 2005; 293(3):305-10.
- Edelson DP, Abella BS, Kramer-Johansen J, Wik L, Myklebust H, Barry AM, Merchant RM, Vanden Hoek TL, Steen PA, Becker LB. Effects of compression depth and pre-shock pauses predict defibrillation failure during cardiac arrest. Resuscitation 2006; 71(2):137-45.
- Meaney PA et al.; CPR Quality Summit Investigators and American Heart Association Committees. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality: improving cardiac resuscitation outcomes inside and outside the hospital: consensus statement. Circulation. 2013;128(4):417-35.
- Heldman AW et al. Paclitaxel stent coating inhibits neointimal hyperplasia at 4 weeks in a porcine model of coronary restenosis. Circulation. 2001; 103(18):2289-95.
- Abella BS et al. Intra-arrest cooling improves outcomes in a murine cardiac arrest model. Circulation. 2004; 109(22):2786-91.