Jagdeep Singh, MD, is the new Vice President for Medical Affairs (VPMA)/Chief Medical Officer for Piedmont Henry Hospital.

Dr. Singh has previous experience as a VPMA in healthcare systems in Minneapolis, Minn. and Buffalo, N.Y.  Prior to becoming a VPMA, Dr. Singh was an emergency physician as well as the EMS Medical Director in Columbus, GA. He holds an MBA in the Physician Executive Program from Auburn University and is a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

At Piedmont Henry Hospital, Dr. Singh will have administrative responsibility for the Performance Improvement Department and the Medical Staff Office. He will work closely with Case Management in the area of utilization management and with other departments towards the goal of improving quality of care, cost effectiveness in the delivery of care, and improvement of clinical processes at Piedmont Henry Hospital. Dr. Singh will serve as a liaison between the hospital and medical staff and will work closely with Piedmont Healthcare during the integration process into the Piedmont system.

Cardiac and thoracic surgeons Alexander G. Justicz, MD, and David A. Langford, MD, have joined Gwinnett Medical Center (GMC) and will serve as the lead surgeons at the new Strickland Heart Center when GMC starts its open heart surgery program this month.

Dr. Langford has been affiliated with the hospital system for nearly two years, serving GMC in an administrative capacity as the medical director for cardiovascular surgery. Langford was directly involved in all aspects of the development of GMC’s open heart surgery program.

Dr. Justicz specializes in all aspects of adult cardiac surgery with particular interest in mitral valve repair, aortic surgery, less invasive techniques and complex reoperative surgery. Dr. Justicz was the chief of cardiac surgery at Piedmont Hospital for six years and was the lead surgeon responsible for the launch of the open heart surgery program at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville in 2002. A member of the newly-formed Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgeons – Gwinnett Medical Group, he is board certified in thoracic surgery.

Dr. Langford is board certified in thoracic surgery. His areas of expertise include aortic valve interventions, coronary artery disease, valve disease and heart failure, among others. Dr. Langford, an employee of St. Joseph’s Medical Group, practiced for nearly 20 years at St. Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta. During much of that time, he also practiced at Piedmont Hospital of Atlanta and Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.

Val Akopov, M.D., has been appointed as vice president and chief of hospitalist services by WellStar Health System. In his new role, Dr. Akopov will oversee 35 hospitalists at WellStar Cobb, Douglas, Kennestone, Paulding and Windy Hill Hospitals.

WellStar’s hospitalists play an important role in inpatient care and are typically trained in internal medicine. From admission through discharge, they focus exclusively on inpatient care and may order tests, monitor a patient’s recovery from surgery, prescribe medicine and implement treatment options to ensure a patient’s best outcome.

Dr. Akopov brings more than 25 years of healthcare experience to WellStar.  Most recently, he served as director of hospital medicine services for Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM) where he helped establish the facility’s academic hospitalist program. Under his leadership, EUHM’s hospital medicine program grew from eight full-time employees to more than 30.

Academically, he served as Assistant Professor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine and Associate Program Director with the J. Willis Hurst Internal Medicine Residency Program at EUHM.  While at Emory, Dr. Akopov received a number of teaching awards including multiple Golden Apple Teaching Awards, Emory Hospital Medicine teaching Award and Overall Excellence in Hospital Medicine Award.

Dr. Akopov is board certified in internal medicine.  He received his M.D. from Tbilisi (Republic of Georgia) Medical Institute and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Emory University Hospital.

It is estimated that one in 50 people in the United States will have a brain aneurysm in their lifetime; a condition that can prove fatal if the aneurysm ruptures within the skull. Emory neurosurgeons now have a device to treat patients with aneurysms that were once deemed untreatable.

Jacques Dion, MD, director of the division of Interventional Neuroradiology and professor of radiology and neurosurgery at the Emory University School of Medicine, is among the first few physicians in the United States and the first in Georgia to use the new Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) to treat large or giant wide-necked aneurysms.

A cerebral aneurysm is a weak spot in the wall of a blood vessel within the brain, characterized by an abnormal ballooning or widening of the vessel. In the United States, a brain aneurysm ruptures every 18 minutes, and nearly half of these cases are fatal. Of those who survive, approximately half will never regain full physical function.

PED is intended for the treatment of adults 22 years of age or older with large or giant wide-necked intracranial aneurysms in the internal carotid artery, the major artery that supplies blood to the front of the brain. The metal device, ranging in size from just 10 to 35 mm, is placed across the neck — or opening of the aneurysm -— with the help of a catheter placed inside the blood vessel. This procedure redirects blood flow away from the aneurysm, causing the blood that remains in the aneurysm to form a clot that serves to prevent the aneurysm from rupturing.

Other existing techniques for treating wide neck aneurysms are often invasive, leading to longer hospital stays and greater risk for complications. They also could be used only on patients who are medically strong and able to withstand an open surgery.

“The Pipeline Device may offer improved patient results with a safer and more effective treatment of large or giant wide-necked aneurysms, which until now has been an unmet clinical need,” says Dion. “We now have both hope and a surgical tool for those patients who have had no other options for treating this often debilitating and even fatal medical condition.”

David Feliciano, MD, a leader in general surgery and trauma care, has joined Atlanta Medical Center, Georgia’s most recently designated Level 1 trauma center.

“Dr. Feliciano is a nationally renowned trauma surgeon who brings a wealth of experience to our trauma team,” said Vernon Henderson, MD, FACS, Medical Director of Trauma and Critical Care at Atlanta Medical Center. “His expertise as a vascular and abdominal trauma surgeon complements our team’s depth in general and orthopeadic trauma.  In addition, as a teaching hospital with residency programs in general and orthopeadic surgery, his experience in research and education in general surgery, trauma and critical care will be invaluable for our residents.”

Dr. Feliciano is currently Professor of Surgery at the Mercer University School of Medicine and Associate Director of Critical Care at the Medical Center of Central Georgia (MCCG). He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Trauma, The American Surgeon, and the American Journal of Surgery. He has been president of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the Southwestern Surgical Congress, the Western Trauma Association, and the Georgia Surgical Society. He has held leadership positions with major national organizations in surgery, including director of the American Board of Surgery, and chair of the Advisory Council for General Surgery of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Feliciano’s knowledge and expertise will be considerable assets to Atlanta Medical Center’s patients and the community.

Morehouse School of Medicine has named Ed W. Childs, M.D., chairman of its department of surgery. Childs will lead the revitalization of the department of surgery by playing a leadership role at Grady Health Systems, recruiting faculty and actively supporting faculty development as chairman.

“A well-established research specialist, sought after speaker and published author, Dr. Childs brings deep experience to the Morehouse School of Medicine,” said Valerie Montgomery Rice, M.D., dean and executive vice president at Morehouse School of Medicine.  “We are honored to have him join our Morehouse School of Medicine family and look forward to his contributions and impact he will surely make to our mission to serve and advance the community.”

Renowned for his research in hemorrhagic shock and vascular hypermeability, Childs will continue to expand upon his research at Morehouse School of Medicine, and actively participant in the cardiovascular research institute.

“Morehouse School of Medicine is like no other medical school in the nation and I admire their commitment to the underserved communities of Georgia and the nation,” said Childs.  “I look forward to contributing to the institution’s great work and being a part of such an esteemed institution.”

Childs comes to Morehouse School of Medicine from the Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Medicine, where he was professor and vice chairman of their department of surgery. Prior to his leadership roles at Texas A&M, he was director of the division of trauma and critical care and acute care surgery, director of surgical ICU at University of Kansas affiliated hospitals and an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Childs is the recipient of more than $6 million in research funding from the National Institute of Health and other national funding agencies as well as a published author of more than 48 peer-reviewed publications in refereed journals.

Dr. Childs received his undergraduate degree in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Texas, and earned his medical degree from Texas A&M Health Science Center in College Station, Texas.  He went on to complete his residency training in general surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan.  and then a fellowship in trauma and critical care surgery at the University of California Davis in Davis, Calif.  A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Childs is also a member of the American Medical Association, National Medical Association, Society of Critical Care Medicine and board certified in general surgery and critical care.

The Georgia Department of Public Health designated WellStar Kennestone Hospital as a Level II Trauma Center, making it the only designated Trauma Center in WellStar Health System’s five county primary service area (Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Douglas and Paulding Counties). The designation comes after nearly two years of planning, implementation of a formal model for trauma care and the hiring of key physicians and support staff.

“This is important not only WellStar but, more importantly, the residents of Northwest Georgia as they now have access to high quality trauma care closer to home,” said Candice Saunders, executive vice president and WellStar Kennestone Hospital administrator.

A WellStar Trauma Steering Committee, made up of physicians and administrators, has been in place for nearly two years working on developing a model for trauma care and the implications of trauma designation. As part of the process, WellStar submitted data to the State of Georgia Trauma Registry and underwent a state trauma site inspection from the Department of EMS/Trauma of WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

“Obtaining this designation was a lot of work by many key individuals,” said Saunders. “Additionally, we had to create several key roles to support the trauma program, including a trauma program manager, a trauma registrar and a medical director for trauma services. As a Level II Trauma Center we also are required to have 24/7 access to certain medical specialists, such as a neurosurgeon, orthopaedics and oral maxillofacial.”

With the addition of WellStar Kennestone to the Georgia Trauma Care Network, there are now 19 designated Trauma Centers (two of which are pediatric) in the state. Trauma Centers must meet guidelines to become a “designated” trauma center and are ranked at Levels I-IV. A Level I Trauma Center offers 24-hour, seven-day-a-week in-house availability to an attending surgeon and is usually aligned with an academic institution (i.e. medical school) as trauma research is required. A designated Level II Trauma Center has the same standard of care as a Level I, but does not provide training programs for surgery residents or fellows.

“The formalized trauma program will enhance the training of staff in the Emergency Department and improve the coordination of care,” said Barry Renz, M.D., a traumatologist who is serving as medical director for trauma services. ”Additionally, trauma patients who come to the WellStar Kennestone Hospital Trauma Center are more likely to survive as trauma mortality rate is 25 percent lower in trauma centers compared to non-trauma centers.”

Gwinnett Medical Center’s (GMC) Strickland Heart Center, a 40,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility featuring the latest in life-saving technology, is slated to open in January 2012. Manfred Sandler, M.D., medical director of cardiology at GMC, led the successful campaign to obtain the required Certificate of Need for open heart services and helped raise more than $9 million to fund the new Heart & Vascular Center.

Sandler has been voted as one of Atlanta’s top cardiologist by his peers since 2005 in Atlanta Magazine’s annual Top Doctors issue. In addition, he was listed in US News and World Report as one of the top 10 percent of cardiologists in the nation in 2011. He currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Gwinnett Hospital System and as chairman of GMC’s Foundation Board of Directors, a position he’s held since 2008. However, his commitment to the community is most evident in his leadership circling GMC’s Open Heart Program, which the new Heart & Vascular Center will showcase.

Sandler said that the Strickland Heart Center is part of GMC’s response to a growing need among area residents.

“We built this facility because the community realized the importance of cardiac services in Gwinnett,” he explained.

The Strickland Heart Center represents a $33 million capital investment and includes two state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization labs, two open heart surgery operating rooms with LED lighting and high definition integrated video monitors, and 12 private recovery bays. Some of the open heart procedures that will be performed at GMC include coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic valve replacement and repair of an atrial septal defect. GMC has projected an open heart surgery volume of about 340 patients in 2012.

In addition to his responsibilities at the hospital and with The Cardiovascular Group, P.C., where he has practiced for 13 years, Sandler volunteers his time by conducting annual cardiac physicals for Norcross High School athletes and the Georgia Force. He’s also worked with American Heart Association, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Medical Association of Georgia, the American College of Cardiology, Gwinnett Chapter of the American Heart Association and Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful.

Emory Johns Creek Hospital has received accreditation from the American College of Radiology (ACR) for its Vascular Ultrasound imaging services. The accreditation means that:

•    The hospital has voluntarily gone through a rigorous review process to be sure it meets nationally accepted standards with respect to vascular ultrasound.
•    The hospital’s personnel are well qualified, through education and certification, to perform and interpret vascular ultrasound images.
•    The hospital’s equipment is appropriate for use in performing vascular ultrasound.
•    The hospital meets or exceeds quality assurance and safety guidelines with regard to vascular ultrasound.

“The designation signifies that we perform continuous quality control — that we are constantly evaluating and maintaining the quality measures we have put in place,” said Douglas Yim, M.D., Director of Interventional Radiology at Emory Johns Creek Hospital. “For patients, this accreditation ensures the quality and accuracy of the vascular ultrasound they’re going to receive and that their diagnosis will be of the highest quality as recognized by the American College of Radiology.”

ACR’s Ultrasound Accreditation Program has rigorous requirements that address a wide spectrum of measures to be evaluated including personnel qualifications, image documentation and quality control, peer review and continuing education. Emory Johns Creek Hospital’s vascular ultrasound accreditation effort was spearheaded by Shirley Fuller, lead ultrasound technologist.

“We, both as a department and as Emory Johns Creek Hospital, are extremely proud of this milestone,” said Leonel A. Vasquez, M.D., Chief of Radiology Services and Division Director of Community Radiology Specialists. “The department of radiology and imaging sciences is committed to providing service excellence and continues to strive for quality improvement.”

 Grady Memorial Hospital’s new Marcus Trauma Center opened recently marking the completion of the renovation and expansion of the Level 1 Trauma Center. Hospital benefactor Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot and chairman of The Marcus Foundation, joined health system officials and local dignitaries for a tour of the state of the art facility.
 
The $7 million dollar Marcus Trauma Center project increases the number of major trauma bays from four to seven and adds eight minor to moderate trauma rooms. In addition, the expansion allows for the treatment of up to 16 patients, two per trauma bay, in a mass casualty situation should the need arise. Grady’s emergency room is on track for nearly 105,000 visits this year, and receives about 3,000 major trauma cases annually.
 
The Marcus Foundation donated $20 million to Grady in 2009 to improve emergency care to trauma and acute neurological injury victims. The money was used to create the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center, which opened in March of 2010, and the Marcus Trauma Center, which is scheduled to receive its first patient in November.
 
“Grady is a tremendous asset to this community,” says Bernie Marcus, Chairman, The Marcus Foundation. “It is for the good of all citizens, hospitals and services that Grady remain the premier Level 1 Trauma Center in the region and is able to respond to increasing demand with the most up-to-date facilities and technologically advanced equipment to go with its highly skilled medical personnel.”