Nationally recognized heart surgeon expands SMH robotics program
Atiq Rehman, MD, FACS, a nationally recognized cardiovascular surgeon specializing in robotic and minimally invasive heart surgery, valvular repairs and coronary artery bypass surgery, has joined the medical staff of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.
Dr. Rehman, recruited by Sarasota Memorial to help expand its robotic heart surgery program, will arrive in Sarasota in September.
He brings more than a decade of experience in cardiothoracic surgery, with advanced training in robotic and minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery, minimally invasive valve repair and vascular/endovascular surgical techniques.
He comes to Sarasota Memorial from the University of Maryland Medical Center, in Baltimore, where he is completing a fellowship in robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery. In the five years preceding his fellowship, he worked as a cardiac surgeon at Baptist Memorial Hospital’s in Columbus, MS. He also served as chair of Baptist’s Department of Surgery.
"Robotic heart surgery is an emerging medical frontier, and we are fortunate to have Dr. Rehman join our medical staff,” said Parlane Reid, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Sarasota Memorial. “He’s one of the few fellowship-trained robotic cardiac surgeons in the nation.”
Sarasota Memorial was the first in the region to purchase a da Vinci-S surgical robot in 2006 and begin offering minimally invasive robotic surgery to cardiac, urology and gynecology patients. Since then the hospital has added a second da Vinci robot and dedicated robotic surgery suite for cardiac patients.
“We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Rehman to our medical staff,” Sarasota Memorial CEO Gwen MacKenzie said. “His skill, experience and special training will help Sarasota Memorial remain on the leading edge of cardiac care and ensure people in our community have access to the most advanced techniques in robotic surgery.”
Dr. Rehman, 40, has board certifications from the American Board of Surgery and American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He also is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He completed his medical degree with honors at the Aga Khan University School of Medicine, Pakistan, and completed his surgical internship at SUNY Health Science Center, Syracuse, his residency at Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College and a cardiothoracic fellowship at University of Miami School of Medicine. He also was the Leon Strauss Transplantation Research Fellow at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, where his cutting edge research led to the FDA-approved drug, Abadacept, a prescription medication for severe rheumatoid arthritis.
He continues to maintain strong academic and research affiliations and is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons and Cardiothoracic Surgery Net. His major research interests have resulted in publications of studies of new techniques in transplant surgery and minimally invasive surgery. His expertise and interests include: Robotic Total Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery; Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery; Robotic Minimally Invasive/Percutaneous Valve Repair and Endostent Graft Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Repair.
Dr. Rehman said he was drawn to Sarasota Memorial for many reasons, foremost among them the positive attitude displayed by hospital staff and dedication to bringing the most advanced technology and treatments to the community.
“Robotic programs require intense commitment from hospital administration, the entire surgery team and referring doctors, and there was no lack of it at Sarasota Memorial,” Dr. Rehman said. ““But beyond that, I must say one of the most important deciding factors for me was the inviting nature of the staff and how happy they were at work.”
Date Published:
August 5
, 2009
Media Contact: Kim Savage
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