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Cardiology

Clinical

Jeremy D. Asnes, MD
Dr. Asnes provides diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization services for children and adults with congenital heart disease. Procedures Dr. Asnes performs in the catheterization laboratory include atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure, transcatheter treatment of aortic and pulmonary valve stenosis, transcatheter treatment of coarctation of the aorta, intravascular stent placement, and coil occlusion procedures. Dr. Asnes has extensive experience in the use of intracardiac echocardiography and is able to perform many of these procedures without the use of general anesthesia. He plans to incorporate cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques into the planning of interventional procedures.

Dr. Asnes joined the Yale Pediatric Cardiology Section in July, 2005 after receiving additional training in interventional cardiac catheterization at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Martina Brueckner, MD
Dr. Brueckner's clinical focus is on patients with genetic causes of congenital heart disease. It has become increasingly apparent that a large portion of cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents has as its underlying etiology a genetic defect. Frequently, patients with a genetically caused cardiovascular defect have involvement of other systems. These patients require care from multiple subspecialists. This multi-specialty care is sometimes difficult to coordinate, and attending many separate clinics can be time consuming for the patients and their families. The Children's Hospital at Yale-New Haven created a unique joint genetics-cardiology clinic that provides comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and follow-up care for patients with genetic-cardiovascular disease. This clinic provides an organized database that permits participation in a broad range of studies on the genetic etiology of cardiovascular disease in the young. The target patient population includes patients with a known syndrome that has as one of its components cardiovascular involvement such as structural congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathies and vascular disease. This includes (but is not limited to) William, Marfan, DiGeorge, Down, Noonan and Turner syndromes. Additionally, the clinic sees patients with diagnosed or suspected cardiovascular disease and additional signs or symptoms suggestive of a syndrome. Examples are associated birth defects, growth failure not explained by the cardiovascular disease, developmental delay or dystrophic features. The clinic provides care for families who are affected by cardiovascular disease and are searching for genetic counseling. Dr. Brueckner has been a staff cardiologist since completing her fellowship at Yale in 1990.

John T. Fahey, MD
Dr. Fahey's major clinical focus since 1999 has been maintaining and advancing the reputation of the pediatric catheterization laboratory at Yale by introducing new techniques and devices to treat patients with congenital heart disease by interventional catheterization in order to avoid open heart surgery. The Amplatzer Septal Occluder™ (ASD) closure device has been in use in the lab for three years, since its approval by the FDA. Yale's Pediatric Cardiology Section is the only center in Connecticut to have approval to use this device and one of few in the northeast. In 2003, the Amplatzer Ductal Occluder™ (PDA) closure device was introduced to close large PDAs in patients who would have previously required surgery.

Dr. Fahey has been a staff cardiologist since completing his fellowship at Yale in 1984. He served as Interim Director of the Section for 6 years.

Alan H. Friedman, MD
Dr. Friedman's clinical interests are primarily in the diagnosis and management of the fetus and neonate with congenital heart disease. He is particularly interested in physiologic changes that occur from the fetus to the neonate and the use of non-invasive imaging techniques to assess these. He has a busy clinical practice at the Yale New Haven Children's Hospital and at the Section's satellite clinics (Shoreline Clinic in Guilford).

Dr. Friedman serves as the Residency Program Director and Associate Chair for Education, overseeing the educational mission of the Department of Pediatrics at Yale. He serves as a member of the American Board of Pediatrics, on the Editorial Board of Prep SA for the American Academy of Pediatrics and on the Board of Rotary International. Dr. Friedman has been a staff cardiologist in the Yale Pediatric Cardiology since completing his fellowship training at Yale in 1994.

George A. Porter, Jr., MD, PhD
Dr. Porter's areas of clinical expertise are in general pediatric cardiology and in the management of patients with Kawasaki Disease. Recently, Dr. Porter established a Kawasaki Disease Program at Yale University to include outpatient referrals for patients with known or suspected Kawasaki Disease and participation in clinical trials for the care and treatment of patients with Kawasaki Disease. Dr. Porter is a co-investigator on a study funded by the American Heart Association to study a potential coronaviral etiology of Kawasaki Disease discovered by Jeff Kahn, M.D. from Yale's Pediatric Infectious Disease Section.

Dr. Porter has been a staff cardiologist since completing his fellowship at Yale in 2000.

Bevin Weeks, MD
Dr. Weeks brings a background of training and expertise in fetal, neonatal, and pediatric echocardiography, outpatient and inpatient postoperative care. Dr. Weeks' clinical activities focus on two areas: echocardiography and outpatient care. She will assist in staffing and development of the echocardiography lab. Additionally, she will be coordinating activities at Yale Pediatric Cardiology outpatient satellite offices in Greenwich, Norwalk, Brookfield and Waterbury.

Dr. Weeks recently joined the Section after completing her fellowship at Yale in 2005.

Megan Gnidula, RN
Ms. Megan Gnidula, RN, is the clinical nurse coordinator for the pediatric cardiac catheterization services and a key member of our ambulatory clinical team. She also provides essential telephone support for questions from our community pediatricians, our patients and their families.

Nancy Rollinson, APRN
Ms. Nancy Rollinson, APRN, is the inpatient cardiology clinical coordinator and facilitates the transition of patients and families from our fetal diagnostic service as well as our surgical program. She also supports our arrhythmia service and pacemaker clinics. She is an integral member of our team, providing continuity and salient nursing insight and innovation to our patients.

Jessica Santora
Jessica Santora is our medical technician who provides coordination and support for our satellite clinics. In addition, Jessica coordinates our Holter monitor and event recorder service.