Med School/Year Graduated: University of Pittsburgh, 1993
Years in Practice: 25
At Phoenix Children’s, you practice electrocardiology, which is a subspecialty of cardiology. For the layperson, please describe the field.
We’re the electricians of cardiology, specializing in the treatment of heart rhythm disorders. This generally involves pacemakers for people with slow heart rates and/or cardiac conduction abnormalities. We also treat and often cure people with abnormally fast heart rhythms with a procedure called catheter ablation. This involves eliminating small areas of cardiac tissue that cause tachyarrhythmias by cauterizing or freezing them.
It’s sad and surprising that children might need pacemakers or implantable defibrillators. Do your young patients typically remain dependent on them their whole lives?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Young patients with slow heart rates from congenital or acquired damage to their natural rhythm seldom recover. The challenge for us is to choose and manage the best pacemaker or defibrillator system which will meet their immediate needs but will also be durable and upgradable as they grow and develop.
Are there special considerations – beyond the size of the patient – in treating children vs. adults?
Absolutely. There are no dedicated pediatric pacemakers, defibrillators or ablation catheters, although “adult”-labeled devices and catheters are sometimes made smaller than necessary for adults so that they can be used in our patients. Beyond that, the most complex group of patients we care for are adults with congenital heart disease… who often have one-of-a-kind anatomy, either naturally or as the result of their surgical repairs.
You studied in Pittsburgh, Philly, St. Louis and Boston. Which is the best food city? Any cravings?
Pittsburgh, kielbasa. Philadelphia, cheesesteaks. St. Louis, barbecue ribs. Boston, lobster. All of the above, but in reverse order.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Astrophotography from my backyard, mentoring the next generation of health-care providers and catching a Broadway show down in Tucson or anywhere else if it’s good.
What shows are you streaming these days?
Homeland, Lioness and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
“If I wasn’t a doctor, I’d be…”
There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. After all, I went to 29th grade before I got my first real job. If you decide to pursue medicine, you know you did it because you couldn’t see yourself doing anything else.
