Allegheny Health Network Names Pietro Bajona, MD, PhD, Director of Cardiac Surgery at Forbes Hospital
PITTSBURGH (PRWEB) October 23, 2019 -- Allegheny Health Network (AHN) is pleased to announce the appointment of cardiovascular surgeon, Pietro Bajona, MD, PhD, as Director of Cardiac Surgery at Forbes Hospital.
In this role, Dr. Bajona will guide the hospital’s multidisciplinary heart care team while also assuming full surgical responsibilities. His expertise and practice will strengthen the hospital’s foothold in the eastern corridor while also broaden the full spectrum of care for patients diagnosed with complex heart diseases.
“Forbes Hospital is one of the region’s best kept secrets for the high quality of its cardiovascular medicine and cardiothoracic surgery programs,” said Dr. Bajona. “It’s a privilege to help continue that tradition and work alongside so many talented and dedicated cardiologists and other clinicians as we expand our footprint as a full service center for cardiovascular care in the eastern suburbs.”
Dr. Bajona specializes in complex heart diseases including aortic stenosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), among others, and performs aortic and mitral valve repair and replacements as well as heart transplant procedures.
“Dr. Bajona is an extremely talented cardiac surgeon and physician leader who has demonstrated a unique ability to envision, develop and formalize programs that provide effective, specialized treatment paths for patients,” said George Magovern, MD, chair, AHN Cardiovascular Institute. “His leadership prowess, paired with his clinical practice, will be an invaluable asset for AHN and the local community.”
Tapping into his previous position, Dr. Bajona will also stand up a robust clinical program for the treatment of HCM, a complex heart disease that reduces blood flow and ranks as the top cause for sudden cardiac death in people under 30 years old.
Prior to joining AHN, Dr. Bajona served as the surgical director of the HCM program at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. At UT Southwestern Medical Center, he built a nationally-recognized, multi-disciplinary referral center for patients diagnosed with this disease. It was the first certified surgical center for the treatment of HCM in the state.
Certified by the European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (FETCS), Dr. Bajona is an active member of several national and international professional organizations, including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, American Heart Association, the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Italian Society of Cardiac Surgery.
A graduate of the University of Ferrara Medical School in Italy, Dr. Bajona completed post-graduate training with fellowships at the University of Toronto, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York.
For more information on the AHN Cardiovascular Institute, visit http://www.ahn.org/cardiovascular.
About the Allegheny Health Network:
Allegheny Health Network (AHN.org), a Highmark Health company, is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving the greater Western Pennsylvania region. The Network is composed of eight hospitals, including Allegheny General Hospital, its flagship academic medical center in Pittsburgh, Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights, Canonsburg Hospital in Canonsburg, Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, Jefferson Hospital in Jefferson Hills, Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh and Westfield Memorial Hospital in Westfield, NY. The Network provides patients with access to a complete spectrum of advanced medical services, including nationally recognized programs for primary and emergency care, cardiovascular disease, cancer care, orthopedic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, women’s health, diabetes and more. It also is home to a comprehensive research institute; Health + Wellness Pavilions; an employed physician organization, home and community based health services and a group purchasing organization. The Network employs approximately 21,000 people, has more than 2,400 physicians on its medical staff and serves as a clinical campus for Drexel University College of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Nikki Buccina, Allegheny Health Network, http://www.ahn.org, 412-544-6245, [email protected]
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