Lisa Fisher has joined Columbia Hospital as Director of Education. She graduated from Palm Beach Community College with an A.S. Degree in Nursing and earned her B.S. degree in Nursing from Barry University.

Prior to joining Columbia Hospital, she worked at Good Samaritan Medical Center since 1987 in a variety of nurse managements positions including Director of Staff Development and Director of the Newbern Telemetry unit.



Westside Regional Medical Center announces the implantation of the first wireless implantable electrocardiogram (ECG) Monitoring System in South Florida performed by Dr. David Kenigsberg, a Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiologist on staff at Westside Regional Medical Center. Dr. Kenigsberg was previously an electrophysiology fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center and trained under Drs. Kenneth Ellenbogen and Mark Wood, two pioneers in the field of Invasive Electrophysiology and authors of the premier texts in the field of implantable devices and cardiac ablations.

The Sleuth Implantable ECG Monitoring System offers an accurate, efficient way to monitor a patient’s heart rate and rhythm, and provide electrocardiogram data to physicians in a timely manner. With this remote wireless system the heart is monitored remotely, ECG data is recorded when events occur, data are sent automatically to a 24/7 monitoring center to be reviewed by certified cardiac technicians, and physicians, like Dr. Kenigsberg, will be notified of cardiac events quickly to enable fast diagnosis and deliver appropriate therapy. Cardiac arrhythmias, or disturbances in the beating of the heart, can be serious and are often the root cause of syncope – a medical term for fainting. Patients with syncope are vulnerable to falls, injuries and negative personal consequences such as suspension of driving privileges or limited employment opportunities. An accurate diagnosis is important for prompt and appropriate treatment.

The Sleuth Implantable ECG Monitoring System, a thin medical device about the size of a 50-cent piece (or the size of the smallest pacemakers), is placed under the skin near the shoulder. The device continuously gathers ECG data, and then automatically and regularly forwards it to a monitoring center operated by Mednet Healthcare Technologies, Inc. There, certified cardiac technicians review the patient’s ECG information and send reports of relevant cardiac event data to the physician. Significant advantages for patients and physicians stem from the fact that the Sleuth ECG System is totally wireless, and technicians at the Transoma Medical, Inc. monitoring center automatically receive patient data thereby allowing them to frequently review the information for irregularities instantaneously.



George C. Kakouris, senior vice president of Wachovia Securities in Coral Gables, has been named to the Doctors Hospital Board of Directors.

Kakouris was born at Doctors Hospital. He graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, attended Pierce College in Athens, Greece, and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Prior to his position at Wachovia Securities, Kakouris was senior vice president for Prudential Securities in Coral Gables and branch manager/vice president of Smith Barney.



Rosa Rodriguez, breast cancer survivor since February 2008, is thankful for the assistance the American Cancer Society has provided her through their new Patient Navigator Program.

The American Cancer Society, along with AstraZeneca and Jackson Memorial Hospital, has recently launched the American Cancer Society Patient Navigator Program at Jackson Memorial Hospital. This comprehensive initiative is designed to assist individual cancer patients in navigating the healthcare system. The program provides free on-site guidance for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers to help them navigate the cancer experience. This initiative links those affected by cancer to local education and support specialists known as “navigators” who serve as personal guides for patients as they face the psychological, emotional and financial challenges along their cancer journey. The Program works to bridge the gap between initial cancer diagnosis, treatment, and successful survivorship, with a focus on the medically underserved.

Patient Navigators (l-r) Mara Chavannes, Chalette Gibbs and Leonor Padro.

Rosa’s Patient Navigator, Leonor Padro, provided her with in-depth guidance and support, and also assisted her in obtaining transportation services so she was able to attend her treatments. Furthermore, Rosa only speaks Spanish so Leonor was able to assist with language barriers throughout her continuum of care, and even helped obtain signed authorizations from physicians so she was able to obtain her medications seamlessly. She provided Rosa with educational materials on breast cancer and helped generate potential questions she could ask her physician about her diagnosis and treatment. Leonor has been Rosa’s navigator for more than seven months, helping her continuously and effortlessly.

Leonor Padro, along with two other ACS Patient Navigators Chalette Gibbs and Mora Chavanng, are local education and support specialists who work on-site at local healthcare facilities, connect patients and caregivers with programs and services, as well as community resources. As no cancer experience is the same, they are also equipped to provide patients with customized, high-quality, current, easy-to-understand cancer-related information. They seek to improve quality of life for cancer patients, family members, and caregivers throughout the disease continuum – from time of diagnosis, through treatment, into survivorship. Furthermore, Navigators are able to increase treatment compliance and follow-up care through a greater understanding of issues.

“I don’t know what I would have done without the help of Leonor”, said Rosa. “I feel she was placed in my life by an angel to help me through the process, and I wish all cancer patients could have the assistance of a Patient Navigator. I have all the help I need from my ACS Navigator at Jackson.”

Jackson Memorial Hospital is the first site in Florida to host the program, and is sponsored by AstraZeneca as part of a strategic effort to significantly extend the reach of the American Cancer Society’s innovative Patient Navigation Program.



The Miami-Dade County Health Department Refugee Health Assessment Program received the “2008 Refugee Health Program of the Year” Award during the Statewide Tuberculosis and Refugee Health Conference held in Orlando, Florida. They were also awarded second place in the poster board presentation. The Refugee Health Assessment Program (RHAP) in Miami-Dade County is the largest of its kind in both the State of Florida and the United States. In 2006-2007, the Miami-Dade County Health Department’s Refugee Program provided screenings to 17,651 new refugees.