BRYAN HEART
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ardiologist Ross Pacini, MD, grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado, the son of a cardiologist. However, he says, “I swore I wasn’t going to be a doctor and definitely not a cardiologist.” Despite his initial reluctance to follow in his father’s professional footsteps, Dr. Pacini earned his medical degree at the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, where his interest gravitated towards the cardiac subjects. He says, “When we did pharmacology and talked about cardiac medicines, I would memorize those better. When we saw cardiac patients I realized I really like helping these people.” Dr. Pacini continued his medical education with a residency in internal medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, followed by a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in cardiovascular disease, and Dr. Ross and Milly Pacini have three daughters — Penelope, Colette and Evelyn. he is board certified in nuclear cardiology and echocardiology. the nutritional content.” In 2012, he returned to Colorado and Dr. Pacini is married to Milly, whom he met on a blind date. He worked in private practice until joining Bryan Heart this year. says, “My friend from high school was a partner in Milly’s law firm He says, “I had never been to Lincoln and was about to in Chicago, where I trained. He was back in Grand Junction having sign with a group in Omaha. Bryan was my last interview. I was dinner with my parents and they complained that I was single. My immediately impressed. No other place compared in terms of friend’s wife suggested Milly.” organization, kindness and professionalism.” That was nine years ago. Today the Pacinis are the parents Dr. Pacini enjoys many aspects of being a cardiologist, but his of three beautiful little girls; Penelope (“P”), Colette (“Coco”) and favorite part is spending time with patients. Evelyn (“Evie”). “One of the nice things about cardiology is that there is so When he isn’t working, Dr. Pacini relishes spending time with much we can do for patients now. Most people have a pretty good his family, taking the girls to the zoo, going to the movies and prognosis,” he says. visiting kids’ parks. He also likes to do yardwork and landscaping To set his patients at ease, he uses anecdotes from his own life projects, and he studies apologetics, finance and investing. to reassure them. “I tell people with extra heart beats (PVCs) that On a final note, he says, “I enjoy following the news and my my wife gets those, too. I calmly tell her to go back to bed, as those new favorite team, the Huskers.” are completely benign,” he says. A happy husband, a doting dad and a dedicated doctor, Dr. Another favorite is his father’s rule of thumb: If you can point Pacini is an outstanding addition to Bryan Heart. n to your area of chest pain with one finger, then it’s never your heart causing the pain. Finally, when older patients are losing weight unintentionally he tells them to eat whatever they want. He says, “When my grandfather was in his 90s, we would bring him Raisinets and Butterfinger candy bars for dinner. My grandmother objected, but my father and I knew the calories were much more important than
26 Winter 2021
VIDEO
To watch an interview with Dr. Pacini, please go to bryanheart.com/DrPacini. To learn more about the work of Bryan Heart, call 402-483-3333.
