Doctors

Rolf L. Andersen, M.D., F.A.C.C.

Rolf L. Andersen, M.D., has been a prominent Lancaster County cardiologist since 1989 and a member of The Heart Group team since its inception. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Andersen earned his medical doctorate from Columbia University and performed his internship and residency at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York. He also served two fellowships in adult cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology at St. Luke's-Roosevelt. A fellow of the American College of Cardiology and board certified in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology, Dr. Andersen also has extensive research experience. He is a research investigator at The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation and has participated in 40 clinical studies on the safety and effectiveness of various drug therapies and treatment devices. Dr. Andersen also has authored four medical journal articles and abstracts.

Paul N. Casale, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I., F.A.H.A., F.A.C.P.

Paul N. Casale, M.D., personifies the world-class cardiovascular care that The Heart Group brings to Lancaster County. Dr. Casale is recognized throughout the profession as a leading contributor to the advancement of cardiovascular medicine and the understanding of cardiovascular disease and its treatments. He is a clinical research investigator at The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation and has pioneered many new treatment procedures. Having published more than 100 reports, articles and abstracts, he serves as an editorial consultant and manuscript reviewer for many prestigious medical journals.

Dr. Casale serves on the Cardiac Catheterization and Intervention Committee of the American College of Cardiology and in 2007 was elected Governor of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the ACC, from which he previously received a Special Achievement Award. He serves as a member of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council and the Pennsylvania Medical Society Board of Trustees. Dr. Casale is a graduate of Cornell University Medical College and performed his internal medicine residency at The New York Hospital–Cornell University Medical Center, New York, and his cardiac fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. He and his wife, Dr. Alexandra L. Gibas, live in Lancaster and have three children.

Gurpinder K. Chatha, M.D.

From India to Houston to Philadelphia to Chicago—and now to Lancaster, Dr. Gurpinder K. Chatha has received world-class training in many well-known places, and when it came time to choose a long-term home for her talents, she chose The Heart Group. Dr. Chatha is an expert in the latest non-invasive cardiovascular diagnostic technologies, and her commitment to combining technological advances with outstanding patient care makes her a perfect fit for The Heart Group. She recently completed a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, prior to which she performed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Board certified in internal medicine and echocardiography, Dr. Chatha's training includes a research assistantship at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Neil R. Clark, M.D., F.A.C.C.

Neil R. Clark, M.D., is a leading Lancaster County cardiologist and expert in advanced cardiovascular diagnostics. A fellow of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Clark is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and nuclear cardiology. He was director of noninvasive cardiology at Lancaster Regional Medical Center, where he has also served as chief of cardiology, medical director of The Heart Hospital at the center, and chairman of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Clark currently is director of noninvasive cardiology at Lancaster General Hospital. He earned his medical doctorate at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, performed his internship and residence at Philadelphia Hospital, and served a fellowship in cardiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Clark has published four original papers in medical journals and has published or presented 13 abstracts, primarily concerning diagnostic techniques using advanced equipment. He is also a research investigator at The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation and has participated in studies involving echocardiography and the effectiveness of drug therapy in patients with congestive heart failure. Dr. Clark and his wife, Susan G. Burlingame, have three children.

Scott J. Deron, D.O., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I.

Scott J. Deron, D.O., has been a prominent member of the Lancaster County medical community for nearly 20 years, serving in leadership positions and earning recognition for his commitment to patient care. He is co-director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Lancaster General Hospital and director of LGH's Women's Center for Cardiac Education. He also is an investigator in clinical research at The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation and a past recipient of the Lancaster County Medical Society's Benjamin Rush Award for Outstanding Health Service Volunteer and the Nursing Practice Council Physician Award. A fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Coronary Angiography and Intervention, Dr. Deron is the author of C-Reactive Protein: Everything You Need to Know About CRP and Why It's More Important than Cholesterol to Your Health, published by McGraw-Hill.

Board certified in internal medicine, cardiology and interventional cardiology, Dr. Deron earned his doctorate from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, performed his internship at Memorial Hospital in York, and served his residency at Lancaster Osteopathic Hospital. He also served a fellowship in complex cardiovascular interventions at St. Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta and a fellowship in invasive and interventional cardiology at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. Dr. Deron is married to Dr. Patti A. Chambers, and they have three children.

Rupal P. Dumasia, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I.

Based on the science accolades Rupal Dumasia has been winning since high school, one might have envisioned him pursuing a career in the laboratory. But Dr. Dumasia is equally as passionate about helping people as he is about advancing science — and he has excelled at both. Dr. Dumasia performed his internship and residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and went on to complete fellowships in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology at the University of Michigan Hospitals in Ann Arbor. He was awarded a diplomate in interventional cardiology from the American Board of Internal Medicine and has earned clinical competencies in diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology.

Mark Etter, M.D., F.A.C.C.

Mark D. Etter, M.D., is a Lancaster native who brought his medical talents back to his home community when he joined The Heart Group in 2001. Board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and nuclear cardiology, Dr. Etter is a member of the American College of Cardiology and the Pennsylvania Medical Society. He has been published in the Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science and the American Journal of Physiology, and he has given presentations at the Pennsylvania Academy of Science and the Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting of The American Chemical Society. Dr. Etter is a summa cum laude graduate of Millersville University, and he earned his medical doctorate from The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. He performed his internship and residency at the University of Rochester's Strong Memorial Hospital, and he was a fellow in cardiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical College Presbyterian Hospital. He is married to Dr. Hyasmine Charles and has two children.

Douglas C. Gohn, M.D., F.A.C.C.

Douglas C. Gohn, M.D., is an eminent cardiologist and researcher with extensive expertise in pacemaker and catheterization technologies and procedures. Board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and cardiac electrophysiology, Dr. Gohn has served as director of electrophysiology at Lancaster General Hospital and has given presentations on pacemaker, electrocardiogram and radiofrequency catheter ablation topics. He has been the lead author or co-author of more than 20 manuscripts and abstracts published in medical journals. A clinical research investigator at The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation, Dr. Gohn has been the investigator or principal investigator on 10 research studies and has served as sub-investigator on nearly 40 clinical studies on topics ranging from catheter and drug effectiveness to the use of a variety of electrophysical devices.

Dr. Gohn is a summa cum laude graduate of Widener College and earned his medical doctorate from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, where he also performed his internship and residency. He served fellowships in cardiology and electrophysiology and cardiac pacing at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Gohn is married and has two children.

Jeffrey M. Hardin, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.P.

Dr. Jeffrey M. Hardin is a hero in more ways than one. A former commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, Dr. Hardin saw combat duty in Kuwait and Panama, and he has earned the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal with Gold Star. Board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and nuclear cardiology, Dr. Hardin received his medical training at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., and served his internship and residency at U.S. Naval Hospitals in San Diego and Oakland, Calif. Most recently, he has pursued his interest in research as an investigator in studies at the LeBauer Cardiovascular Research Foundation in North Carolina.

Joseluis Ibarra, M.D., F.A.C.C.

Joseluis Ibarra, M.D., is a leading expert in cardiovascular disease prevention and non-invasive treatment. Board certified in cardiovascular disease, Dr. Ibarra is committed to educating patients about risk factors, and he has contributed greatly to the understanding of heart disease treatments through his participation in more than 50 clinical studies. He is a clinical investigator at The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation and has been principal investigator on studies concerning the safety and effectiveness of certain drug treatments for a variety of cardiovascular conditions. He also has been a co-investigator on numerous studies of treatments and therapies in areas ranging from lowering blood cholesterol to reducing heart attack recurrence. Dr. Ibarra has served as director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Lancaster Regional Medical Center, and in 2000 he was named Inpatient Teacher of the Year in the Lancaster General Hospital Residency Program. A graduate of the Southwestern Medical School of the University of Texas, he performed his internship and residency at the University of Pittsburgh's Presbyterian Hospital. He also served a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

Ron Mathew Jacob, M.D., M.B.B.S

Ron Mathew Jacob is among the most highly skilled and extensively trained cardiac imaging specialists in the nation. He joined the Heart Group in 2008 following a fellowship in advanced cardiac imaging at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic Heart Center in Ohio, where he received Level III training in echocardiology, cardiac CT and cardiac MRI, and Level II training in nuclear cardiology. His expertise across the spectrum of imaging modalities enables Dr. Jacob to determine the best modality for every patient and every presentation. Dr. Jacob is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and in nuclear cardiology by the Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology. He has been published in medical journals, contributed chapters to four medical texts, and invited to be a presenter at several seminars, including an Experts Session of the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans. Dr. Jacob earned his medical degree from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Karnataka, India, where he also performed his first residency. In the United States, he performed an internship and residency at Saint Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, N.J., and was later a resident in internal medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. He was chief medical resident for one year and also served a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at Drexel.

David M. Loss, D.O., F.A.C.C.

David M. Loss, D.O., is a native Lancastrian who has contributed significantly to the local medical community since beginning professional practice here in 1983. A fellow of the American College of Cardiology and board certified in internal medicine and cardiology, Dr. Loss received his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and performed his internship and residency at Community Hospital of Lancaster, now Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center. He also served a fellowship in cardiology at the Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, N.J. Dr. Loss served Community Hospital as a board member, secretary of the medical staff, chief of cardiology, director of critical care and director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory. He also has been director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Lancaster Regional Medical Center.

A research investigator at The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation, Dr. Loss has participated in nearly 30 clinical studies on the safety and effectiveness of cardiac drug therapies, stents and other treatment devices. He also has been a lead investigator and participant in local hospital studies, and he has published three papers in medical journals. Dr. Loss has been active in the community, serving as a former board member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and former president of the local chapter of the American Heart Association. He and his wife, Kathy, have four children.

Ajay R. Marwaha, M.D.

Board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology, Dr. Marwaha is fellowship trained in a full range of cardiovascular diagnostic technologies, including cardiac catheterization, CT, MRI, echocardiography, and nuclear medicine. He earned his medical degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, performed his residency in internal medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., and completed the Teaching Skills Program at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Dr. Marwaha completed his fellowship training at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pa., in June 2006.

Melissa L. McKernan, M.D.

Before coming to Lancaster and joining the highly respected team of cardiovascular physicians at The Heart Group, Dr. McKernan distinguished herself as an intern, resident and fellow at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She served two fellowships at Penn, one in cardiovascular disease and another in cardiovascular electrophysiology, and she presented research findings at the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado and her medical doctorate from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Dr. McKernan is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Medical Society and the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, and she is an American College of Cardiology affiliate in training. She was a member of the University of Connecticut field hockey team that won the Division 1 national championship in 1985, and she has run in the Philadelphia Marathon. Dr. McKernan is married to the Heart Group's Dr. R. Ward Pulliam.

R. Ward Pulliam, M.D.

R. Ward Pulliam, M.D., joined The Heart Group in 2004 following a two-year fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, Dr. Pulliam is qualified in pacemaker and ICD implantation, including a large volume of biventricular implantations, and all ablation procedures. He received his medical doctorate from the University of Mississippi Medical School and performed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Emory University Hospitals in Atlanta. He also served a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Tulane University Hospitals in New Orleans prior to his training at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Pulliam is the husband of Dr. Melissa L. McKernan, also of The Heart Group.

John P. Slovak, M.D., F.A.C.C.

John P. Slovak, M.D., has been a prominent member of the Lancaster County medical community since 1983, helping to enhance the quality of cardiovascular care through his teaching and research activities in addition to patient care. A former chief of cardiology at Lancaster General Hospital, Dr. Slovak is currently physician director of the School of Cardiovascular Technology at LGH and physician director of Cardiovascular Resident Education at the hospital. He also is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Temple University. Board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology, Dr. Slovak has extensive experience in a wide range of diagnostic and invasive procedures. He is a research investigator at The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation and has participated in nearly 50 clinical trials ranging from the evaluation of drug therapies to the efficacy of various stents and other devices. The author of four medical journal articles and abstracts, Dr. Slovak has presented more than a dozen lectures at various seminars, conferences and workshops, and he organized an eight-member team to perform and teach coronary intervention and cardiovascular surgery in Bangladesh. A graduate of Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital in Philadelphia, he performed his internship and residency at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa.

Roy S. Small, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I.

Roy S. Small, M.D., is president of The Heart Group and a leading national expert in the management of heart failure. He is the director of the heart failure clinic and the medical director of the heart failure service at Lancaster General Hospital. Dr. Small has been a principal or co-investigator on more than 70 studies in areas ranging from stents and angioplasty to pacemakers and drug therapies. He is currently the principal investigator of several clinical trials primarily involving the management of heart failure. He is the co-director of medical research and board member of The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation. He has published articles in leading cardiovascular medical journals and presented papers at Heart Failure Society of America Annual Meetings and the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Sessions. Dr. Small is a member of a national committee of the American College of Cardiology.

A former commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, Dr. Small was an assistant professor of medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., and director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. He completed his internship and residency at the National Naval Medical Center and did his interventional training at The Mayo Clinic. He received his medical doctorate from St. Louis University and is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. Dr. Small is married and has three children.

Edward W. Supple, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I.

Edward W. Supple, M.D., has been a distinguished leader in the Lancaster County medical community since coming to the area from Boston in 1987. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Supple has served as chief of cardiology at both Lancaster General Hospital and Lancaster Regional Medical Center, as well as medical director of cardiology at the Mid-Atlantic Heart Institute of Lancaster General Hospital. He is a fellow of The Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions, and a member of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, the American Society of Echocardiography, and the Clinical Cardiology Council of the American Heart Association. As a clinical research investigator at The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation, Dr. Supple has helped advance the cardiology community's knowledge of factors regulating the control of the venous circulation, of ischemia and diastolic properties of the left ventricle, and of constrictive and restrictive cardiac disease. He performed his internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and he is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology.

Seth J. Worley, M.D., F.H.R.S., F.A.C.C.

Seth J. Worley, M.D., is among the preeminent professionals of modern cardiology. His work is known worldwide and has contributed greatly to the advancement of cardiovascular science. Innovations developed by Dr. Worley have become standard practice for cardiologists and have been incorporated into a variety of cardiovascular disease treatment devices. He has been invited to serve on the faculty at more than 50 national meetings as well as at seminars and grand rounds at leading U.S. institutions, such as the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and University of Pennsylvania, and at major cardiology centers in Japan. Dr. Worley has performed extensive clinical research, including more than 70 studies on which he served as principal investigator. He has authored more than 60 full-length papers and book chapters, as well as more than 20 recent abstracts, and he is a consultant and advisor to cardiac equipment and drug manufacturers.

Although internationally renowned, Dr. Worley has maintained his focus on serving local patients and organizations. He is the founder and medical director of The Lancaster Heart & Stroke Foundation, as well as the founder of Code R (reperfusion), a formal system to reduce time to treatment for acute myocardial infarction at Lancaster General Hospital, and Code Stroke, a formal system to reduce the time of treatment for acute stroke at Lancaster County hospitals. Dr. Worley has served the Lancaster General Heart Institute as director of electrophysiology, director of physician training and director of research, and he was director of electrophysiology at both Lancaster General Hospital and Lancaster Regional Medical Center. He also is a former chief of cardiology at Lancaster Regional. Board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and clinical cardiac electrophysiology, Dr. Worley earned his medical doctorate from Temple University and served his residency at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. He also served as assistant professor of medicine at both the Mayo Medical School and the Duke University Medical Center.