Medical Director, Clinical Cardiology, Memorial Regional Hospital

I am a clinical cardiologist at Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute with board certification in internal medicine, cardiology and echocardiography. I treat patients with coronary artery disease, complications due to arrythmias and heart murmurs related to valves of the heart. I also have expertise in echocardiography and am a leader in educating our next generation of cardiac specialists.

I was inspired to pursue a career in medicine by a biology teacher in high school who was also a professor of anatomy at a medical school. I chose to focus on cardiology because I saw the ramifications of cardiac disease and knew it was an area where I could not only help people who are sick, but also help prevent the disease in others. I still wake up every morning grateful that I have the chance to help someone that day and I never take it for granted.

Most heart problems can be prevented, but many do not cause symptoms. Therefore, I strongly encourage patients be proactive about their health – starting with eating healthy, exercising and getting a checkup.

We are all very different, so as a doctor, my priority is to listen to my patients and get to know them so I can better understand what they specifically need. The future of medicine is very promising. One of the advances that will continue to evolve cardiology care is genetic therapy because it provides us the ability to risk stratify a patient in a better way to provide specific treatment. This enables us to deliver precision medicine.

Before coming to Memorial, I worked for nearly a decade at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. I served as Program Director of the Cardiology Fellowship Program and Co-Director of the Echocardiography Laboratory. During my tenure as program director, the fellowship program achieved a 100% cardiology-board passing rate.

Hospital Affiliations

• Memorial Hospital Pembroke
• Memorial Hospital West
• Memorial Regional Hospital

Gender

• Male

Languages

• Spanish
• French

Education

Universidad De Costa Rica, 2000

Internships

University of Miami - Jackson Memorial Hospital - Internal Medicine Prog, 2002, Internal Medicine

Residency

University of Miami - Jackson Memorial Hospital - Internal Medicine Prog, 2004, Internal Medicine

Fellowships

Columbia University, 2008
Jackson Memorial Hospital, 2007, Cardiovascular Disease

Certifications

American Board of Internal Medicine-Cardiovascular Disease
American Board of Internal Medicine-Internal Medicine

Publications

Professional Organizations

• American College of Cardiology
• American Society of Echocardiography
• American College of Physicians
• Journal Reviewer for American Journal of Cardiology

Presentations

• Tricuspid Valve: Ignored But Not Forgotten. Cardiology Grand Rounds, Mount Sinai Medical Center. 2016
• Aortic Stenosis: Paradoxical or Not. Cardiology Grand Rounds, Mount Sinai Medical Center. 2015
• Athlete’s Heart: Is There a Role for an Echocardiogram? Cardiology Grand Rounds, Mount Sinai Medical Center. 2013
• Aortic Stenosis: What do you do in asymptomatic patients? Cardiology Grand Rounds, Mount Sinai Medical Center. 2013
• Severe Aortic Stenosis: More Than Meets The Eye. Cardiology Grand Rounds, Mount Sinai Medical Center. 2012
• Controversies in the assessment of valvular heart disease. Cardiology Grand Rounds, Mount Sinai Medical Center. 2011
• Aortic Stenosis and Cardiac Output: Low-Flow vs. Paradoxical Low-Low Flow. Cardiology Grand Rounds, Mount Sinai Medical Center. 2011
• “Valvular Emergencies.” Emergency Medicine Lecture Series. Mount Sinai Medical Center. 2010
• “New Insights in the Assessment of Valvular Heart Disease. Cardiology Grand Rounds, Mount Sinai Medical Center. 2010
• Ecocardiografia Contemporanea en la Evaluacion de Enfermedades Valvulares. Congreso Domincano de Cardiologia. Dominican Republic. 2009
• La Estenosis Aortica con Bajo Gasto Cardiaco: Evaluacion Ecocardiografica. Congreso Dominicano de Cardiologia. Dominican Republic. 2009
• “Low-Flow, Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis,” New York Society of Echocardiography Meeting, New York, NY. 2008
• “Principles of Clinical Echocardiography.” Columbia University Biomedical Engineering Lecture Series, New York, NY. 2008

Awards

• Tenth Annual Joan Barber Memorial Research Award, New York Echocardiography Society, New York, NY, 2008
• Best Cardiovascular Fellow, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 2007
• The Heart Group of Miami Latinoamericano Award, Jackson Memorial Hospital, 2005
• The Sodi Award for Outstanding Teaching in ECG Interpretation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital, 2005
• Searching for Excellence Award, The William J. Harrington Latin American Program, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 2000