Clinical Advisory Board
Dr. Baker graduated from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency at Parkland Memorial Hospital. Dr. Baker underwent fellowship training in general cardiology and electrophysiology at the University of Michigan. He has published extensively in the field of sudden death.
Dr. Baker is board certified in internal medicine, cardiology and clinical electrophysiology. He has been elected as a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Baker is a member of the Clinical Cardiology Council of the American Heart Association, Nevada State Medical Association, and the Clark County Medical Society. He serves as a member of the Sunrise Hospital Institutional Review Board. Dr. Baker practices general cardiology with special interests in radiofrequency ablation and the advanced treatment of atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation.
Dr. Calkins is the Catherine Ellen Poindexter Professor of Cardiology and Director of the Electrophysiology Laboratory and Arrhythmia Service at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is an internationally recognized expert on catheter ablation, atrial fibrillation, syncope, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) and arrhythmia management. Dr. Calkins attended Williams College and Harvard Medical School before training in medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. He received his cardiology training at Johns Hopkins. His first faculty position was at the University of Michigan, where he directed the Pacemaker Service, and he returned to Johns Hopkins as director of the Arrhythmia Service in 1992.
Dr. Calkins is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology and is on the editorial board of many other cardiology journals. He is a former member of the American Board of Internal Medicine Electrophysiology Boards Test Writing Committee. Dr. Calkins is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the Heart Rhythm Society. He led a 44-member international task force whose 2012 Expert Consensus Statement gave recommendations for treatment and research of atrial fibrillation. Dr. Calkins is a past president of the Heart Rhythm Society and was elected to be a member of the Miler Coulsen Academy of Clinical Excellence in 2014.
Dr. Calkins has published more than 500 articles and book chapters on a large variety of cardiac arrhythmias. His research has focused predominantly on catheter ablation, atrial fibrillation, syncope, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia.
Dr. Mutharasan is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Cardiologist at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. He serves as the medical director of the Heart Failure Bridge and Transition (BAT) team, a multidisciplinary program designed to facilitate care transitions from the inpatient to the outpatient setting. He graduated from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 2003 after earning a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University School of Engineering.
Dr. Mutharasan’s current operations and research work are in health services and clinical outcomes, focused on implementing quality care for heart failure patients. The heart failure group at Northwestern uses quantitative and qualitative methods and draws lessons from operations research.
After receiving his medical degree in India, Dr. Khandheria completed his residencies at St. Agnes Medical Center and Hahnemann University and his fellowship at Mayo Clinic. He is currently serving as Medical Director of Aurora Medical Group and Research Center in three roles:
1. Echocardiography Services
2. Echocardiography Center for Research & Innovation
3. Aurora Global & Executive Health Program Services
He is also a Clinical Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Khandheria serves as the Senior Consulting Editor for the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography and the Associate Editor for the European Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging. Over the past two decades, he has been a principal or co-investigator on more than a dozen cardiology-related research projects. He has been a contributing author to nearly 50 publications and is an accomplished lecturer, guest speaker and presenter for medical conferences and workshops in the U.S. and internationally.
Dr. Shah is Vice President at Gwinnett Clinic in metro Atlanta. He practices full-time primary care and also precepts medical students as an adjunct clinical faculty at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Shah has expertise in state and national health policy, clinical operations and health care finance. He currently serves on the board of Augusta University Health System. Dr. Shah graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Georgia, where he won Truman and Rhodes Scholarships to study at Oxford. He graduated from Harvard Medical School and trained in internal medicine at Emory. Dr. Shah is a physician leader and advocate of high-value primary care as the foundation of good health.
Dr. Koppel is a seasoned executive with almost 20 years of experience in the business of medicine and healthcare. He brings a wealth of expertise with particular strengths in areas such as business development, product development, sales and marketing, value proposition creation, and translation of clinical needs into commercially viable products. With an abundance of international experience, Dr. Koppel has a strong understanding of various markets throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Currently, Dr. Koppel manages a small venture capital fund focused on healthcare and consumer goods. He previously served as Vice President of Medical Strategy at Hillrom where he was charged with working on a cross functional team re-defining “digital health” within the company. Dr. Koppel came to work at Hillrom after the acquisition of Excel Medical, where he served as Chief Medical Officer. Excel Medical provided healthcare technology solutions focused on data acquisition, storage, and distribution of physiologic patient data. Dr. Koppel assisted with capital raises, key partnerships with Electronic Health Record companies, sales and marketing, and product development.
Bonnie has been a Registered Nurse for 22 years and is a founding partner of COR consultants. She has consulted for a variety of organizations including healthcare technology companies, public health agencies, and secondary school health science programs. Bonnie has expertise in project management, process improvement and adult education.
Bonnie graduated with a BSN from Georgia Baptist College of Nursing and received her Master’s in Nursing Education from Duke University. She transitioned from cardiac critical care to focus on system level strategic planning and clinical optimization, and spent much of her career immersed in education in her role as a clinical professional development specialist. For nearly a decade, Bonnie was clinical faculty in a health science nursing program, where she cultivated her expertise in training and education. She believes in servant leadership, leading annual medical mission trips abroad and serving on several Advisory Boards of organizations in her community.
Over the past seven years in her role as principal consultant, Bonnie has developed training programs, created standard operating procedures, and written policy and procedures for healthcare organizations across the country. Her years of clinical training and expertise are what make her a valued member of the consulting team.
Nicole is a founding partner of COR Consultants. Her passion for change and process improvement led her into the world of consulting. She has been able to work alongside healthcare leaders throughout the country to achieve their desired future state and has years of experience in strategic planning, clinical optimization, and training solutions.
Nicole received her BSN from Georgia State University and a Master’s in Health Administration from Pennsylvania State University. Her 16-year nursing career began at a Metro Atlanta based hospital that she saw flourish into one of the largest Heart Centers in Georgia. Her career has offered varied experience in Cardiac Services, Critical Care Services, and Learning Resources. She spent several years managing teams and overseeing clinical processes within the healthcare system.
During her seven years as a consultant, Nicole has led engagements in a variety of public, private and government healthcare organizations. Nicole believes in taking a collaborative approach to addressing challenges faced by our industry. As an active member of her community, she currently serves as the vice chair of the Georgia Association of Healthcare Executives Programs Committee. Nicole also serves as the co-director of career development for the Pennsylvania State University Alumni – Atlanta Chapter.
Lannette is a leading health care professional in Central Pennsylvania with diverse expertise in health care quality, chronic disease management, Intensive Care/Emergency/Pediatric Nursing, patient advocacy, healthy lifestyle coaching, community health outreach, integrative/functional medicine, health and wellness programs, injury prevention programs and parent/caregiver coaching.
Lannette is a graduate of Clarion & Edinboro Universities with a Master’s degree in Family Nurse Practitioner, and recently became a Certified Nurse Practitioner by the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing. She holds numerous degrees from Mount Aloysius College: Master of Science degree in Health and Human Services Administration, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Associates degree in Nursing, and a diploma in Cardiovascular Technology. She is also a Certified Independent Registered Nurse Patient Advocate (iRNPA), nationally Certified Health Coach (CHC), and a Certified Pediatric and Advanced Cardiac Life Support Instructor. She was a contributing author for the Visiting Nurses Association of America (VNAA) Policy and Procedure 2011 Manual and authored the chapter on Pediatric Intensive Care for the Nursing textbook Clinical Case Studies in Home Health.
Lannette currently serves as Quality Improvement Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH). Her desire to maximize patient outcomes through high quality patient care is evident. Since joining PORH in 2016, Pennsylvania’s ranking in the annual national recognition of state Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) programs has increased from fifth in 2017 to third in 2018, and now first in the nation for 2019. In addition, she received the MBQIP Spirit Award in July 2019 at a national meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, convened by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP).
Recently, Lannette became a Certified ArgiSafe Nurse Scholar. Previous employment included Director of Breast Cancer Institute and manager of the medical/surgical and intensive care units at Tyrone Hospital, Pediatric Private Duty Supervisor for Home Nursing Agency, and was an ICU/CCU nurse for 12 years at Mount Nittany Medical Center. In her spare time, she enjoys writing articles for Generations Magazine, yoga, and spending time with her husband Murray and her two sons.
Melissa is an experienced healthcare professional with vast experience in clinical leadership and cardiac patient management. She has dedicated her professional career on establishing relational practice strategies to better engage her patients. Melissa has been a nurse for 23 years and carries an expertise in both the hospital and outpatient settings. She is currently a Nurse Practitioner for the Georgia Heart Institute and strives to ensure that her care is both patient-centered and based on clinical best practices.
Prior to joining the Georgia Heart Institute, Melissa worked as a Nurse Practitioner for the Piedmont Heart Institute. During the early years of her career, Melissa gained a wealth of experience managing the critical care patient at the bedside as both a Registered Nurse and later as an Advanced Practice Provider. She received her BSN and Master’s of Science degree from Walden University. Melissa is passionate about caring for the cardiac patient population and serving the community in which she resides.
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