The Heart of Women’s Health Lies Deep Within the Chest
When it comes to women’s health, should we be looking more deeply into matters of a women’s chest, not just the breast? Consider the statistics: 1 in 3 women will die from cardiovascular disease, compared with 1 in 31 who will die from breast cancer. Heart disease doesn’t discriminate; it is the leading cause of death whether you’re black, white or Latina. Dr. Elizabeth Juneman offers advice for becoming your best health advocate to ensure your doctor goes beyond a "bikini" view of women's health. Save the Date: Nov. 3 to learn more about the Heart of Women's Health at an educational luncheon in collaboration with the Sarver Heart Center Women's Heart Health Education Committee. Read more.
Note from the Director
Innovating. Lifesaving. Patient Care.
As Sarver Heart Center embarks on its next 30 years, Nancy K. Sweitzer, MD, PhD, director of the UA Sarver Heart Center and chief of cardiology, reflects with gratitude on the thousands of donors who have supported the Center and continue to fund early-stage research and equipment that produce critical data to help our scientists compete for national and international grants. Read more.
Donors Continue to Build the Sarver Heart Center
The Gieszl family established the William J. “Billy” Gieszl Endowment for Heart Research in 1998, to support research focused on improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease. Jim’s son, Billy, was born in 1977 with tricuspid atresia, a congenital condition that decreases flow of blood through the heart. Billy required several surgeries, a pacemaker and a heart transplant before he passed away in 1993 at age 16. “The Gieszls are an inspiring example. This family lived with a difficult disease, interacted more than any of us would choose with cardiologists and surgeons, and then chose to turn sorrow into more hopeful outcomes for other families who have a child born with abnormal cardiovascular anatomy,” said Dr. Nancy Sweitzer. Read more.
Community Partner Updates
The Steven M. Gootter Foundation raised about $300,000 during its 12th annual gala to support research on causes and treatments of sudden cardiac arrest and to improve community and professional education. The Fraternal Order of Eagles Charity Foundation contributed a $5,000 grant from the Max Baer Heart Fund to support the UA Sarver Heart Center Biorepository. Wanda Moore, member of Sarver Heart Center’s board and women’s committee and chair of the Minority Outreach Program, was the 2017 honoree of the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona. Jenn Bunger was honored as the 2016 recipient of the Brian Bateman Superb Service Award. Read more.
Heart Transplant Program Reaches New Milestones
The expanding Advanced Heart Failure, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Cardiac Transplantation Program (historically called the Heart Transplant Program) continues to grow in terms of number of patients treated, procedures available, expertise, clinical research and new training opportunities for cardiologists. Earlier this year, the heart transplant team reached a landmark of 10 transplants within a nine-month period, setting a pace well ahead of the 10 transplants per year required to maintain certification from the Center for Medicare Services. Read more.
Member Updates, Awards, Honors
The first half of 2017 brought numerous announcements of honors, awards and major grant funding for Sarver Heart Center members, including Nancy Sweitzer, MD, PhD, Heddwen Brooks, PhD, Ankit Desai, MD, Jennifer Cook, MD, Mathew Hutchinson, MD, Raj Janardhanan, MD, Kwan Lee, MD, Jil Tardiff, MD, PhD, Kathryn Sisterman, NP, Sharon Gregoire, NP, Leslie Ritter, PhD, RN, Zoe Cohen, PhD, and Frank Marcus, MD. Read more.
Graduating Cardiology Fellows Prepare for Careers, Further Training
The University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center celebrated the graduation of five fellows from the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program and two from the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program on June 10. The cardiology fellows also presented faculty awards. “Our fellows are the engine of our clinical mission,” said Nancy K. Sweitzer, MD, PhD, director of the UA Sarver Heart Center and chief of cardiology at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. “During a time of great change in academic medicine, our fellows displayed a cheerful interest in cardiology and I hope that cheerfulness continues as you go forward working in cardiology, the best job ever. We are privileged to care for patients at their sickest and our work helps many go on to live good quality lives. I hope your love of cardiology grows as you move into this next exciting stage of your career.” Read more.
Celebrating the Next Generation of Physicians
Nancy Sweitzer, MD, PhD, director of the UA Sarver Heart Center and chief of cardiology, congratulated award recipients during the UA Department of Medicine’s awards program in May, including recipients of the Hall Memorial Awards, Noon Award for Excellence in Cardiology and the Outstanding Medicine Fellow. Read more.
Save the Dates: Upcoming Community Programs
The Heart Series will celebrate 25 years of continuous instruction by Charles Katzenberg, MD, and Edna Silva, RN, with a community lecutre on Aug. 13, "Preventing Heart Disease for 25 Years: What We've Learned." Read more.
Elizabeth Juneman, MD, will be the featured presenter at the Sarver Heart Center Women's Heart Health Education Committee's luncheon focused on women and heart disease, the Heart of Women's Health, on Nov. 3. Read more.
