
6 minute read
Aurora Denver Cardiology Associates celebrates 50th anniversary
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Founder of Aurora Denver Cardiology Associates, Dr. Dennis Battock is celebrating 50 years by looking back at how the practice came to be and the impact the group has had on the Denver-metro community.

“I’m very proud of it,” said Battock. “It’s like seeing your baby grow up.”
Battock graduated from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1964 and went onto Kings County Hospital in New York where he completed his internship and residency. He then returned to the University of Colorado School of Medicine to complete his fellowship in cardiology and pharmacology.
He also spent two years serving in the Army at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington.
In 1973, upon returning to Denver, Battock was part of the faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Battock then decided open a solo practice while maintaining a part-time position at the university.
Originally called Aurora Community Hospital (later Humana), e
Medical Center of Aurora opened in 1974.
“I decided I would like to put my feet down in Aurora,” said Battock. Over the next few years, other doctors started to join Battock, including his boss from when he served in the military.
“At that time, there was no tertiary cardiology in Aurora and we were really getting tired of transferring patients to Rose and other downtown hospitals,” said Battock. “We really wanted to start a cardiac catheterization lab.”
Battock, along with several cardiologists and primary care physicians from around the city opened the rst cardiac catheterization lab in Aurora in 1987. e new lab was called the Colorado Heart Institute.
“What was one lab is now four labs and they’ve done well over 70,000 cases,” said Battock.




For 50 years, as the practice continues to grow and cardiology becomes more sophisticated, doctors and associates have kept up with the times.
In the past, they would put patients in the bed and possibly perform surgery on them, according to Battock. Now, with interventions with angioplasty, stents, and electrophysiology, doctors have more available to them and are able to provide more tests, services and procedures.
In 2001, an Aurora Denver cardiologist partnered with e Medical Center of Aurora and Emergency Medical Services to develop the Cardiac Alert program. is program is now the national standard of care for treating patients who are experiencing a severe heart attack.
Aurora Denver Cardiology Associates treats a multitude of conditions, such as palpitations, coronary artery disease, heart attacks, congestive heart failure and heart valve disease. “Virtually, we do everything except ter,” said Battock.
While caring for thousands of patients in Aurora, the Aurora Denver Cardiology Associates also has expanded with o ces in Denver, ornton, Castle Rock, Lone Tree and Centennial.
Although Battock retired nearly 10 years ago, he is still involved and keeps in touch.
Looking back on the 50 years, Battock is proud of what has been accomplished, “I think what we have now is unique.” vividly recalls the moments his heart raced from fear, the moments of sadness when he witnessed autopsies and the anger when seeing family members get bullied. e book transitions to Nurdel’s teen and young adult years after his family were forced to move to another part of the country following an attack on his childhood home.
Tensions continued to escalate across the country as well as the unfair treatment of the Baha’i community.
“It’s not easy to leave your family behind, everything you know behind, not just family,” said Nurdel. “So I needed to build that understanding with the readers, the ‘why’ I am taking this such a risky step in my life.”
In 2007, Nurdel saw the theater production of “ e Diary of Anne Frank”. He said it was di cult to sit and watch the play, so much so that he walked out of the theater. “I just couldn’t control myself because my childhood was just right in front of me and I saw so much similarities of what Anne Frank had endured and I had,” said Nurdel.
Although Nurdel shared bits and pieces of his story with others, the play helped him realize that he too needed to share his story of religious persecution with a wider audience. Over the years, he has felt more comfortable talking about his story and writing the book has been the ultimate healing, said Nurdel. roughout the book, Nurdel details each day of the two-week trek to the United Nations o ce in Ankara, Turkey. He writes about his time as a refugee in Turkey, what the process was like to get to America and when he got his U.S. citizenship in the nineties.
Along the way, Nurdel does not forget to mention the status of his two friends who also endured the terrain with him. He also introduces the readers to the families he bonded with, his family in Iran and the family he helped create with his wife.
As a promise to his family, he continued his education and completed a doctor of optometry degree at the University of Missouri in St. Louis.
Nurdel found a home in Denver where he has helped establish one of the largest eye-care centers in Highlands Ranch and has become one of the nation’s top independently owned eye-care centers.
Stepping into a new country proved challenging, however, Nurdel kept his faith and dedicated his new found freedom to helping and educating others. e Baha’i community in Iran continues to face injustices and persecution, said Nurdel.
Nurdel started writing his book in 2019, nishing the rst draft during the pandemic.
When the new unrest and riots started happening in Iran last year, Nurdel wanted the book out as soon as possible.
Nurdel canceled his contract, went down the self-publisher route and his book was printed in early March.
“ e main goal is [for] everyone to know what’s going on today in the world,” said Nurdel. “We can close our eyes to see what’s going on around the world, but we cannot. We need to know.
“It seems that it was 35 years ago… It’s really not,” said Nurdel.
Nurdel spoke about the resolutions passed by Congress that have made an impact. He encourages others to contact local representatives and ask them for support the next time there is a resolution in the Senate or Congress.
Nurdel also hopes people do not stereotype and avoid coming to an immediate judgment when hearing someone with an accent, instead
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“ ere may be a beautiful story behind that accent,” said Nurdel. “ ere could be a life changing story that you can learn from that person.” e book can be purchased in major bookstores, on the o cial website as well as Amazon. In addition, an audio book of “One More Mountain” will soon be available. “If the book has touched only one person, I’m good,” said Nurdel.
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