Biography
Rick Gach PT, DPT, CMPT, KTCC, CEAS is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with over twenty five years of experience. He was a professional athlete for twelve years and since his retirement he became a Physical Therapist. He is a certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist and he performs the ergonomic evaluations for Memorial Regional Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. He also specializes in the treatment of patients with cardiovascular, cardiac surgical, and pulmonary diagnoses. He has presented in numerous city-wide, state, national and international conferences discussing movement, cardiac exercise, and therapy interventions for this patient population. He also has experience with project management and project implementation for large organizations and multiple United States Government Agencies. He has been published in several peer reviewed journals and he is currently working on three additional research topics which he is planning to publish within the next year.
Research Interest
cardiac rehabilitation orthopedics
OVIDIO A GARCÃA VILLARREAL
Professor
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Mexico
Mexico
Biography
Ovidio A. Garcia Villarreal is a cardiac surgeon dedicated to the private practice, retired from the social medicine. Surgery. He has been working on the mitral, aortic and tricuspid reconstruction for more than 25 years. He has been spearheading in the field of Cardiac arrhythmia surgery, particularly in atrial fibrillation surgery (Cox-maze procedure) as well as in aortic valve sparing operations in Mexico. He has executed national surgical models for valvular heart reconstruction and maze procedure. He has been also dedicated to clinical research, with more than 50 international publications in PubMed. Editor-in-Chief of the journal Cirugia Cardiaca en Mexico, and analyst in more than 15 international journals. He is an active member of the Mexican Society of Cardiac Surgery, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery, amongst others.
Research Interest
Aortic Arch Surgery, Aortic valve surgery, Mini-invasive surgery, Aortic valve-sparing operations, Left atrial reduction, CAB surgery Surgery for atrial fibrillation (Cox-Maze III, Cox-Maze IV), Mitral valve reconstruction, Mitral valve surgery.
Samer Ellahham
Chief Quality Officer
SKMC,Cleveland Clinic Care Giver
UAE
Biography
Dr. Ellahham is a Board-certified internist, cardiologist and vascular medicine senior consultant and continues to care for patients. He received his undergraduate degree in biology and his M.D. from the American University of Beirut. He did his fellowship in Cardiology at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) in USA. After completing his fellowship, Dr. Ellahham worked in Washington DC in several clinical and leadership positions before moving to UAE in 1988. He led the First AHA GWTG Heart Failure Initiative outside US and was the recipient of the AHA GWTG Award in Wash. DC. His clinical passion and expertise is in the field of heart failure management. He demonstrated great skill and experience in the management of patients with heart failure and led a multi-disciplinary team in the care and delivery of advanced therapies to these patients. He has unique abilities to partner and engage local and regional referring providers. He is able to work in a highly matrixed environment, possess strong leadership and organizational skills and have experience to working effectively in a large health system. He is currently a Cleveland Clinic Staff and the member of Executive Team of The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Research Interest
Cardiology and Vascular Medicine
