Rebecca Walter, Times-News Staff Writer Dr. Eduardo Balcells, a general and interventional cardiologist at Pardee Hospital, believes in empowering patients so they never have to become patients. Balcells came to Pardee in September, and started seeing patients around the end of October, bringing with him an interventional cardiology program to the hospital. Back 25 years ago, interventional cardiology was only offered at major hospitals. Due to advancements in technology and training, community hospitals like Pardee can now offer the practice, Balcells explained. Empowering patients through knowledge and encouraging a healthy lifestyle is essential to Balcells practice. The body has a remarkable ability to repair itself, Balcells explained. With medicine, we can help it evolve even more. Many patients Balcells sees are in a tough spot health-wise due to poor lifestyle choices. As a cardiologist, there are the obvious points Balcells stresses to his patients, such as not smoking, reducing stress and eating healthy. But listening to your own body and knowing what it is saying is essential to overall health, Balcells emphasizes. I spend most of my time trying to open a patients mind and giving them to tools to become less dependent on medicine, Balcells said. It takes effort … Continue reading →

Husband and wife David and Hilary Oakes both come from medical families. Davids father, older brother and stepbrother are all anesthesiologists. Hilarys mother and grandmother were both nurses. So perhaps its no surprise that the newest additions to the Shaw Heart and Vascular Centers medical team wound up caring for patients too. The Oakeses moved to Roseburg from Boise, Idaho, in October. Hes an electrophysiologist, a cardiologist who specializes in the hearts electrical system, while shes a nurse practitioner with a specialty in cardiology. Each of them toyed with the idea of choosing a different path. David thought he might go into coaching, while Hilary thought she was too squeamish to become a nurse. Everyone said oh youd be so great at nursing, you should be a nurse, and I thought no way, there are too many gross things in nursing, Hilary said. But she loved her science classes at Boise State University and began studying for a nursing degree thinking she might go into nursing education. Then she got a job as a nurse apprentice on a cardiac floor at St. Lukes Boise Medical Center. I just fell in love with it, she said. Her cardiology specialty was something … Continue reading →

BENTON, Ark. (News release) Cardiac diagnostic testing, treatment and management, as well as 24/7 emergency response are available to the community through Saline Memorial Hospital. The hospital has opened a new onsite cardiology clinic, Central Arkansas Cardiology Associates, and is building a state-of-the-art electrophysiology lab on the Benton campus. In addition, it has expanded its cardiology services for patients by partnering with more local physicians. Dr. Jeffrey Stewart is the newest local physician to partner with Saline Memorial to provide cardiology care. Specializing in cardiovascular disease, preventive cardiology, interventional cardiology, peripheral vascular disease and general cardiology, he is now seeing patients at Central Arkansas Cardiology Associates. The Hospitals other physician partners include Dr. Lonnie Harrison of Harrison Heart, Vein & Vascular, as well as Drs. Paul Baxley, Van H. De Bruyn and Allan Hatch of Saline Heart Group. The state-of-the-art electrophysiology lab at Saline Memorial will allow patients to have complex heart rhythm problems treated close to home. The cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology lab will also address the increased volume of patients the hospital is now experiencing. This $3 million project is projected to be operational by June 1, 2017. We are always looking for new ways to provide even … Continue reading →

Prairie Heart Institute of Illinois Cardiologist Michael LaMonto, DO, has been elected as a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) in recognition of his professional achievement and commitment to quality cardiovascular care. Dr. LaMonto is part of the Prairie Heart Institute team of cardiology experts who provides care at Sarah Bush Lincoln. He holds six board certifications including general cardiology, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, internal medicine, emergency medicine, and aerospace medicine. He works with fellow Prairie Heart Institute cardiologists Thomas Cahill, MD, and Amit Dande, MD, FACC, FSCAI and Physician Assistant Allyson Gough, PA-C, to evaluate and treat people with issues ranging from coronary artery disease to rhythm disorders and valve disease. Sarah Bush Lincoln President and CEO Jerry Esker, R.Ph., said, Dr. LaMonto has been a part of our communitys care team for many years and in different capacities, each time providing excellent medical care to people who seek care here. We couldnt be more pleased that he has achieved this designation in cardiology care because of the positive impact it will have on the cardiac needs of our community members. The FACC designation has a long history of recognizing the top cardiovascular professionals in the world and … Continue reading →

Dr. Howard Waldman was recently named as chief of cardiology at North Shore Medical Center. Waldman will assume responsibilities as chief of cardiology effective April 1 and will continue in his role as medical director of the catheterization lab and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention at the NSMC Heart Center. Waldman brings a wealth of clinical and leadership talents to his new role. Waldman has been on staff at NSMC since 1991. He was appointed as the medical director of the catheterization laboratory in 1993 and was instrumental in the development of the PCI program that opened in 2003. As a result of his collaborative style and focus on quality, he has developed excellent relationships across North Shore Medical Center and the entire Partners HealthCare system. Waldman received his Ph.D. from Georgetown University and his M.D. from the University of Buffalo. He completed his internal medicine residency at UNC Chapel Hill and received his training in general cardiology, interventional cardiology and congenital heart disease at Massachusetts General Hospital. He has been on staff at MGH since 1987, serving as an attending physician in the catheterization lab. View original post here: Dr. Howard Waldman named chief of cardiology - Wicked Local Swampscott … Continue reading →

Gender Gap in Academic Cardiology - Inside Higher Ed Inside Higher Ed Academic cardiology remains a medical field in which women are a distinct minority, and a new study suggests this is a particular problem at the senior levels. and more » See the article here: Gender Gap in Academic Cardiology - Inside Higher Ed - Inside Higher Ed … Continue reading →

The first study to evaluate sex differences in academic ranking among academic cardiologists has found that women were significantly less likely than men to be full professors, even when adjusting for factors such as age, years of experience and research productivity that are traditionally associated with academic rank. The report from investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has ben published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. "These findings highlight a potential inequity in how men and women in academic cardiology are recognized and rewarded for their work and could reflect the fact that women face persistent barriers to academic advancement," says Daniel M. Blumenthal, MD, MBA, of the MGH Division of Cardiology, lead and corresponding author of the report. "Recruiting more women into cardiology is a top priority for both the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, not only because cardiology continues to be a male-documented specialty but also because many recent studies suggest that the U.S. is facing a growing shortage of cardiologists in several regions. Addressing any inequities facing women in cardiology will be critical to the success of efforts to recruit more women into our specialty." Blumenthal and his co-authors note that, while … Continue reading →

Eat your heart out, heart disease. Nothing will get your heart pumping this Valentines Day quite like these Kansas City cardiologists. The doctors at Saint Lukes Hospital used hilarious heart-healthy memes to celebrate the romantic day. We wanted to find a creative way to help patients see the lighthearted and caring nature of these expert physicians while also sharing the important message of heart disease prevention, and encouraging our community to take control of their heart health so they can avoid serious issues in the future, Rebecca Sesler, vice president of marketing at Saint Lukes Health System, wrote to ABC News in an email. Saint Lukes is one of the top 20 cardiology and heart surgery programs in the country, which means our cardiologists and surgeons treat the most complex and challenging heart issues every day, she added. Their timing is perfect as February is also American Heart Month. The hospital explained that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 370,000 Americans every year. It claims the lives of more women each year than deaths from all cancers combined and strikes someone in the U.S. every 42 seconds. However, heart disease is … Continue reading →