Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/870419
t m c » p u l s e | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 7 33 Q | Where did you go to medical school? A | I went to medical school in the Dominican Republic because my parents couldn't afford to send me to school in the U.S. I did my training for general surgery at The Brooklyn Hospital Center and my cardiac surgery training at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn. I spent seven years there and then moved back to Miami, thinking it was a great opportunity because of my Cuban heritage and being fluent in Spanish and English. I joined a group for a year and then I went out on my own and, for my first 18 years in practice, I went between seven hospi- tals and built my group. In 2008, I was offered the position as chief of cardiac surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. The hospital was not doing well at the time. Their cardiac surgeons all left, so they made an offer for my group and myself to go there. We built the program up. Now they are building a $350 million tower. Q | What are the distinct skills you bring to the Texas Medical Center? A | I have been in practice for 26 years. I've performed 14,000 cardiac opera- tions and I've done over 5,000 mini- mally invasive operations. Dr. Todd Rosengart, professor and chair of Baylor's department of surgery, offered me a position to come here as associate chief of cardiac surgery and help build the program and bring new ideas and unique skills. I've trained over 700 sur- geons from around the world and I have done more of these operations than anyone in the world. These operations were all done with two-inch incisions on the side of the chest—the least trau- matic way to approach and operate on the heart. We've seen patients recover a lot quicker from the procedure, the hospital stay is diminished and patients go back to a normal lifestyle very quickly. Young patients who are reluctant to have surgery because they don't want the big scar down their chest accept this operation more than having their breastbone cut. The recovery rate after one of these minimally-invasive procedures is two weeks. Q | You've been here for nine months now. How many surgeries are you performing each week? A | I have been doing an average of eight surgeries per week. Not as busy as I was in Miami, but in a very short time it seems to be a good amount. I am always looking for more because I know my capacity and I like to have a more significant workload. We have a tremendous amount of resources at the medical center and here at St. Luke's … and that is a big plus. Q | Have patients in Houston been responding well to the minimally invasive technique? A | The patients I am working with at St. Luke's are coming from all over, many from outside of Houston and the state. These are patients that come looking for me, who heard about me on the internet from other physicians or other patients who have had a good result with this surgery. (continued) THURSDAYS in SEPTEMBER 5-7pm in SAWMILL LAKE EVENINGS of LUXURY Must be 21 or over to be served or consume alcoholic beverages. Petit fours, truffles and Champagne while supplies last. See SiennaPlantation.com/Luxury Follow the signs! SEPTEMBER 7 Evenings of Luxury Premiere! Enjoy Champagne, truffles, petit fours & live music. Complimentary limo shuttle between model homes provided. Different homes each week. Champagne Home Tours Patient James Moncrief with Joseph Lamelas, M.D., at Baylor St. Luke's, two days after surgery.