Rossmoor Surgeon's Legacy Honored by Medical Community

UC Irvine on Thursday honored Dr. Marianne Cinat, the Rossmoor trauma surgeon, who died suddenly last June under mysterious circumstances.

On Thursday, the university kicked off the first lecture in an annual series, highlighting leading practices in burn care. The director of the UC Irvine Regional Burn Center, Cinat was widely known for her work treating burn victims.

"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 said in a written statement. "She remains an inspiration to those patients and her colleagues."

A public dedication of a tree and plaque in honor of Cinat was held on Thursday in the Healing Garden in front of UC Irvine Douglas Hospital, followed by the Marianne Cinat Memorial Lecture given by Dr. Tam N. Pham of the University of Washington's Harborview Medical Center.

In addition to the annual lectureship, UC Irvine created the Marianne Cinat Memorial Fund for Burn Survivors to support former patients of the burn center. According to hospital officials, Cinat often noted that being discharged from the hospital is only the beginning of recovery. Peer-to-peer support groups, pediatric burn camps, scholarships, summer picnics and holiday parties are a few of the programs intended to help patients thrive. These efforts will be funded through donations to the Marianne Cinat Memorial Fund.

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. According to hospital officials, 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.

Cinat’s death shocked the medical community last June. She drowned in her pool after suffering blunt force trauma to the back and front of her head. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the case, which hasn’t been declared a homicide.