PulmonologySleep MedicineCritical Care
General pulmonary medicine including asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis All types of pulmonary hypertension (high pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs) Dyspnea (breathlessness) of unclear origin Lung manifestations of left-heart disease Lung manifestations of connective tissue disease (lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis) Interstitial lung disease (including pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis) Advanced lung disease/Lung failure Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders Critical care illness
American Board of Internal Medicine Subspecialty Certification in Pulmonary Diseases Subspecialty Certification in Critical Care Medicine American Board of Sleep Medicine
As a child, I witnessed first hand the compassionate care that our family pediatrician provided to my siblings and I during difficult financial times. Such an unselfish and caring attitude is something that I have always aspired to match. I was also very fortunate to have outstanding role models during my medical training. I have tried to take the best from each one of those mentors and apply that behavior and knowledge to the care I provide to my patients.My patient care philosophy is reflected by three main approaches. 1) Finding the time to listen and doing my best to put myself in the shoes of the patient in front of me. Not infrequently, there is a lot of frustration and family stress prompted by chronic illnesses that needs to be addressed in order to help with the actual disease. 2) Looking at each complex case with a “Sherlock Holmes approach”. I pride myself in finding the time and patience to attempt to put together all the pieces of the puzzle. This approach is particularly helpful when taking care of patients who have already been evaluated by several providers or those who have several medical conditions acting up at the same time. 3) Providing a comprehensive approach. I believe that patients truly benefit from the active participation of all the providers involved in their care. Making sure that every provider understands and is aware of the plans and decisions being made increases the chances of a successful treatment.I actively participate in national and international pulmonary hypertension committees and associations and am part of steering committees that oversee multicenter clinical trials. I also have ample expertise evaluating and treating patients with dyspnea (breathlessness) of unknown origin. I have been fortunate and honored to provide consultation to complex patients referred by cardiologists, pulmonologists and rheumatologists from all over Wisconsin, Illinois and Upper Michigan. We offer a comprehensive approach to pulmonary hypertension (PH) and advanced lung disease/lung failure. I provide care to patients with diverse forms of pulmonary hypertension including those with idiopathic PH, PH related to liver disease, connective tissue disease (eg, scleroderma), HIV, congenital heart disease, left heart disease, thromboembolic disease (blood clots in the lungs). Our nurse has extensive experience as a PH program coordinator and is nationally recognized as a leader in this field. As part of the comprehensive workup needed to evaluate patients with a new diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, we offer a dedicated PH protocol echocardiogram evaluation and cardiac catheterization in order to confirm the diagnosis of PH and establish a treatment plan for such complex disease. We provide all diverse treatments for PH including oral medications and continuous prostacyclin infusions for more severe cases. St. Nicholas Hospital
Universidad del Valle, Cali, Columbia
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL Cook County Hospital, Chicago, IL
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Fellow, American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Chair, American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), Pulmonary Vascular Disease Network Member, American Thoracic Society (ATS) Pulmonary Hypertension Clinician and Researchers Group Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) Associate Editor, Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension Journal Member, Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI) Co-Chair, PVRI Taskforce on Pulmonary Hypertension and Connective Tissue Disease