Professional Notes

On April 2, 2021, Dr. Alan Chen was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army Reserve Medical Corps. This day was a culmination of his personal development over the last few years. He is grateful for the many opportunities to succeed in his life in the United States. “This vow is my way of giving back to the greatest country on Earth, utilizing all my strengths and skills that I have gained to this point,” said Dr. Chen. Congratulations, Dr. Chen!

Dr. William Dixon, an interventional cardiologist at TMH, is the first physician in the Southeast to use a coronary intravascular lithotripsy system, or IVL — a breakthrough in treating patients with severe heart disease. In the treatment of heart disease, the IVL technology allows doctors to break up calcium using sonic pressure waves, or tiny shockwaves, through soft arterial tissue. Once the calcium has been cracked, the artery can be expanded at low pressure and a stent can be implanted to improve blood flow.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare is now the only hospital in the Southeast and the fifth in the nation to use a coronary intravascular lithotripsy system.

“This is one of the first major innovations for treating coronary artery disease in 30 years,” Dixon said in a statement. “It’s exciting to be starting a new chapter in the treatment of heart disease in some of our most complex patient cases, especially with technology that improves the safety of the procedure.”

Dr. Amy Neal recently joined the Capital Medical Society Membership Committee. Dr. Neal is on staff at Capital Health Plan. The CMS 2021 Membership Committee includes Kenneth Whithaus, M.D., Co-Chair; Amulya Konda, M.D., Co-Chair; Anthony Clark, M.D.; Jerry Ford, M.D.; Tracey Hellgren, M.D.; Nancy Loeffler, M.D.; xKenneth McAlpine, M.D.; Amy Neal, M.D.; David Robinson, M.D.; Andres Rodriguez, M.D.; and Hugh VanLandingham, M.D. Thank you, Dr. Neal!

Dr. Brence Sell served as Doctor of the Day in the Florida Legislature on March 30, 2021.

His sponsor was Senator Loranne Ausley pictured here. She presented a Bill she has sponsored that will help disadvantaged children receive better early education.

The 2022 U.S. News & World Report medical school rankings include new categories for diversity and health profession shortage areas. FSU’s College of Medicine debuted in the top 20 in both categories and earned a top 50 ranking for primary-care production. The College of Medicine tied for No. 13 in diversity with 26 percent of students identifying as an underrepresented minority. The college also came in at No. 42 in primarycare production, with Nova Southeastern being the only Florida school producing more primary-care physicians during the time period measured. The college, founded on a mission to serve underserved populations with a focus on primary care, ranked No. 13 for percent of graduates practicing direct patient care in health professional shortage areas. The latest U.S. News data is based on 2012-2014 graduates, and more than 50 percent of the college’s M.D. graduates in that span are practicing in health professional shortage areas. “As the first new medical school of the 21st century, the college takes great pride in our mission of serving our communities, particularly for rural and underrepresented patients,” said College of Medicine Dean John P. Fogarty. “As a young medical school, it takes time to receive recognition of our 20-year effort to recruit students from these areas and produce graduates committed to service. Our pipeline is producing the results we expected and we’re hopeful this survey will continue to reflect that even more in the coming years.” Excerpt from Florida State University News

CMS Members: If you receive accolades, please let us know, so we can include you in this section! Email the details to Shannon Boyle at sboyle@capmed.org.

Inspiring G d Health Dr. Kishor Muniyappa

4012 Kelcey Ct Ste 103| Tallahassee, FL 32308 Phone 850.297.0351 | Fax 850.297.0352 www.TALLYGASTROHEALTH.com