Team of physicians at the NBHC

Interventional Cardiologists

Dr. Vernon Paddock Medical Director NBHC	Dr. Vernon Paddock joined the NBHC in 1992.  He obtained his medical degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1984.  He completed training in Internal Medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Cardiology at Dalhousie University.  He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine (1989) and in Cardiology (1990). He completed subspecialty training in Interventional Cardiology at The Ottawa Heart Institute.  Dr. Paddock has been the Medical Director of the NBHC since 2005.  He interests include triage assessment, outcomes research, and mitral valve disease.
Dr. Peter Fong	Peter Fong joined the NBHC in July of 2004.  He obtained his medical degree from Dalhousie University in 1995.  He completed training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Dalhousie.  He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine (1999) and in Cardiology (2002). He furthered his training by completing a two year fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver.  His clinical interests include myocardial salvage, chronic total occlusions, and myocardial regeneration.
Dr. Sohrab Lutchmedial	Sohrab Lutchmedial joined the NBHC in 2000.  He obtained his medical degree from McGill University in 1993.  He further trained in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at McGill.  He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine (1996) and in Cardiology (1999).  He completed subspecialty training in Interventional Cardiology at L’Universite de Montreal in 2001.  Dr. Lutchmedial is the Director of The New Brunswick Heart Centre Research Initiative and his research interests include Acute Coronary Syndromes, aspects of cardiac rehabilitation, and coronary physiology.  He speaks French and English.
Dr. Robert Teskey	Robert Teskey joined the NBHC in 2002.  He obtained his medical degree from The University of Ottawa in 1984.  He completed training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at The University of Ottawa.  He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine (1988) and in Cardiology (1989). He also completed a fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at The Ottawa Heart Institute.  Prior to joining the NBHC, Dr. Teskey was a staff cardiologist and assistant professor at Dalhousie University.  His clinical interests include critical care and he has expertise in intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS).  He speaks French and English.
Dr. Colin Barry	Dr. Colin Barry joined the NBHC in July of 2004. He earned his medical degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1997. He trained in Internal Medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Cardiology at Dalhousie University. He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine (2001) and in Cardiology (2003). He completed a fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at The Ottawa Heart Institute in 2004. He interests include research, acute myocardial infarction, and CT coronary angiography. He speaks French and English.
Dr. Jaroslav Hubacek	Dr. Jaroslav Hubacek joined NBHC in 2009. He obtained his medical degree from The Commenius University in the Slovak Republic in 1997. Subsequently Dr. Hubacek successfully finished his Master of Science degree from the National University of Singapore in 2000. After the arrival to Canada, he started his career as post-doctoral fellow at the University of Calgary, where he also completed his Internal Medicine training. Dr. Hubacek’s core cardiology fellowship brought him to Maritimes. After successful completion of the cardiology training at Dalhousie University he obtained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in Internal Medicine (2006) and Cardiology (2008). He further specialized in interventional cardiology at the University of Calgary. During his formal training Dr. Hubacek continued his research interests in vascular biology and outcome research with APPROACH group. His clinical and research interests include Acute Coronary Syndromes, hemodynamic assessment of coronary stenosis, risk prediction models, and population and patient specific outcomes.

Cardiologists

Dr. David Bewick	Dr. David Bewick joined The Saint John Regional Hospital in 1986. He obtained his medical degree from Dalhousie University in 1980. He completed training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Dalhousie. He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine (1985) and Cardiology (1986). Dr. Bewick organized the first New Brunswick Heart Symposium and has been the Chair since that time. He clinical interests include echocardiography including transesophageal and stress echocardiography. He is also director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and The Heart Function Clinic.
Dr. David Marr	Dr. David Marr joined the staff of The Saint John Regional Hospital in 1980. He obtained his medical degree from Dalhousie in 1975. He then completed Internal Medicine and Cardiology training at Dalhousie University. He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine (1979) and in Cardiology (1980). He is also is Fellow of The American College of Cardiology. Dr. Marr helped establish the New Brunswick Heart Centre in 1991 and is the former Chief of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Greg Searles	Dr. Gregory Searles joined the NBHC in 2004. He obtained his medical degree from Dalhousie University in 1998. He completed training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Dalhousie. He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine (2002) and in Cardiology (2004). His clinical interests include general cardiology, echocardiography including stress and transesophageal echocardiography. He is also actively involved in resident education. He speaks French and English.
Dr. Geoffrey Douglas	Dr. Geoffrey Douglas joined the NBHC in 1997. He obtained his medical degree from Dalhousie University in 1988. He obtained further training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Dalhousie University. He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine (1994) and in Cardiology (1996). His interests include general cardiology and he has expertise in stress echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, and is involved in follow-up of pacemakers/implantable defibrillators.
Dr. Ricardo Bessoudo	Dr. Ricardo Bessoudo joined The Saint John Regional Hospital in 1981. He obtained his medical degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1973. He completed training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Dalhousie University. He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Internal Medicine (1978) and in Cardiology (1981). He completed a year of subspecialty training in Nuclear Cardiology. Dr. Bessoudo helped establish the NBHC in 1991. He is fluent in French, English, and Spanish.
Dr. Rob Stevenson	Rob Stevenson is originally from Fredericton. He joined the NBHC in 2008 after completing his cardiology training at Dalhousie University. His undergraduate studies were in Science at UNB. His clinical interests include coronary critical care, echocardiography, cardiac rehabilitation, smoking cessation and therapeutic hypothermia post cardiac arrest.

Cardiac Surgeons

Dr. Marc Pelletier Clinical Department Head, Cardiac Surgery	A native of Edmundston, Dr. Marc Pelletier returns to New Brunswick as the new Clinical Department Head of Cardiac Surgery. He worked at Stanford University in California for the past four years in the capacity of Medical Director of Cardiac Surgery at El Camino Hospital and as a heart and lung transplant surgeon at Stanford Medical Center. After obtaining his medical degree from Dalhousie University in 1994, he completed a Cardiac Surgery Residency and a Masters of Science in 2000 at McGill University. He then traveled to Stanford University for a Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Transplantation, which was followed by a faculty position as Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. In 2004, Dr. Pelletier returned to Stanford, this time as Assistant Professor.
Dr. Craig Brown	Dr. Craig Brown joined the NBHC in 1993. He earned his medical degree from The University of Manitoba in 1984. He trained in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at The University of Manitoba. He was certified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (1992). He is also a Fellow of The American College of Surgeons. He further completed a two year Gerbode Fellowship in Cardiovascular Sciences in San Francisco.
Dr. Rand Forgie	Dr. Rand Forgie joined the NBHC in 1991. He obtained his medical degree from Dalhousie University in 1979. He completed training in General Surgery and Cardiac Surgery at the University of Alberta. He was certified as a Fellow by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Physicians and Surgeon of Canada in General Surgery (1985) and Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in 1988. He is also a Fellow of The American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He has been involved with the Royal College Exam Committee for Cardiac Surgery.
Dr. Ansar Hassan	Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Dr. Ansar Hassan joins the Department of Cardiac Surgery as its newest member. After obtaining his medical school degree from McGill University in 1998, he went to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia where he completed a residency in cardiac surgery. During his residency training, he acquired a PhD in social and clinical epidemiology. His PhD thesis focused on inequities in access to care and cardiovascular outcomes, a topic which now serves as the basis for his research activities. In 2007, he travelled to Greenville, North Carolina to embark on a fellowship under the tutelage of Dr. Randolph Chitwood, the world’s leader in robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Finally, in January 2009, Dr. Hassan retuned to Canada with his family to assume a position in the New Brunswick Heart Centre in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Electrophysiology

Dr. Satish C. Toal Electrophysiologist

Dr Satish C Toal obtained his MBBS (1992) and MD (1996) from the Government Medical College, Nagpur, India. In 2000, he completed his cardiology training at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India. His dissertation was on the use of adenosine in sinus rhythm to differentiate atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia from atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia, which was published in “Heart” in January 2002 and led to the award of his cardiology degree. He is also a certified specialist in cardiology by the Post Graduate Medical Education and Training Board, United Kingdom. He completed a three year clinical fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology from the Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network in 2007. Dr Toal has presented original papers at the Heart Rhythm Society, American Heart Association and Canadian Cardiovascular Society conferences. He has publications in Circulation, Lancet, Heart Rhythm, Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology and PACE amongst others.