Dr. Cristina Ortiz Villabona believes an important part of her success as a cardiologist comes from care provided in environments with a variety of patient populations. The non-invasive cardiologist gained experience in Ohio, Tennessee (where she did fellowship training at Vanderbilt University) and now practices in South Florida.

“Women and ethnic minorities are traditionally underdiagnosed for cardiac diseases,” said Dr. Ortiz, whose family has roots in Colombia. “I build relationships with them, as I do with all my patients, making sure they are listened to and understood.”

The bilingual Dr. Ortiz was attracted by the reputation and top-tier care provided at Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute before joining the team in 2025. Moving forward, she is interested in training fellows in Memorial’s Graduate Medical Education cardiology program. “I’m passionate about teaching and hope to be a mentor for others,” she said.