Message Healthgrades Rates St. Mary Five StarsWe’re proud to announce that Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center has achieved accolades for clinical excellence from Healthgrades, the number one site Americans use when searching for a doctor or hospital. St. Mary has been rated ve stars for the treatment of heart failure and the treatment of sepsis for ve years in a row. “We’re honored to be recognized as one of the nation’s highest-ranking hospitals for our cardiac and critical care specialties by Healthgrades,” said Dr. Jim Keany, MD, Chief Medical Ocer. AHA Heart AwardSt. Mary Medical Center is the proud recipient of the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Heart Failure Gold Award. This quality achievement award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association.Thank you to all of our physicians whose outstanding care helped make these awards possible.Medical DialogueKEEPING PHYSICIANS ABREAST OF THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION AT DIGNITY HEALTH – ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTERFALL 2024Welcome New CMO Jim Keany, MDWe are pleased to welcome Jim Keany, MD, MBA, FACEP, as our new Chief Medical Ocer for St. Mary Medical Center. In this role, Dr. Keany will oversee clinical operations, contribute to strategic planning, and provide leadership and support to the Medical Sta.With over three decades of clinical and leadership experience, Dr. Keany has a demonstrated history of achieving operational excellence and enhancing patient safety. Most recently, he served as the West Region Vice President for US Acute Care Solutions, where he was instrumental in patient-centered strategic planning and process optimization. He has also held key leadership positions at Providence Mission Hospital, including Chief of Sta and Chair of the Quality Committee of the Board of Trustees.Dr. Keany’s extensive knowledge in health care governance and quality improvement, combined with his passion for innovation, will be crucial in advancing our clinical operations. His dedication to enhancing patient care aligns perfectly with our mission, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our team.Get With The Guidelines® Heart Failure Gold Award2025TREATMENT OFSEPSIS2025TREATMENT OFHEART FAILURE
2 St. Mary Medical DialoguePhysicians In the NewsSt. Mary Medical Center and our physicians are often featured in media stories. Here are a few recent news clips.Ali Jamehdor, DO, Medical Director of Emergency Medicine, was featured on ABC Channel 7 News, Fox Channel 11 News and KNX Radio where he discussed the acute uses of ketamine, which was the cause of death for Matthew Perry. He was also interviewed on KTLA Channel 5 News where he discussed the surge in respiratory infections across California, and by Random Length News where he oered ways to protect against the u.Connie Lee, MD, Breast Oncology Surgeon, was featured on NBC Channel 4 News in a story about the advancements in breast cancer research made possible by funding from initiatives like the 2024 Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk. Dignity Health’s four hospitals in the Los Angeles area were proud supporting partners of the event.Ravi Menghani, MD, Ophthalmology, was featured on NBC Channel 4 News in a story about protecting the eyes while viewing the solar eclipse that occurred in April.Arlene Vernon, MD, Chief of Sta, was featured in the Long Beach Business Journal, the Long Beach Press-Telegram, and Becker’s Hospital Review in articles announcing her historic elected position as the rst female Chief of Sta at St. Mary Medical Center.Dr. Felton Williams, Chair of St. Mary Medical Center’s Hospital Community Board, was featured in Random Length News for receiving the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from the Long Beach Unied School District. Dr. Williams, who is the school district’s second-ever African American board member, was honored for his work as an educator and for establishing innovative programs to increase the number of African American students in Advanced Placement courses.Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center (SMMC), and Carolyn Caldwell, FACHE, Hospital President and CEO, were featured in the Long Beach Press-Telegram and Beachcomber News in stories about SMMC’s recognition as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2024 Healthcare Equality Index.Reminder: Video Recording PolicyAs a reminder, all video recording at our facilities must adhere to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Rule as well as our internal policies on videotaping within the hospital. HIPAA states that healthcare providers, including hospitals and doctors’ oces, may only allow lm crews access to their facilities if they obtain written authorization from patients. Authorizations must also be signed by visitors and employees being recorded. Requests to record video must be approved by both Armando Iniguez, Corporate Responsibility Ocer, at (562) 491-9661, and Christina Zicklin, CA Region Director of External Communications at (310) 922-8522. Thank you for respecting the privacy rights of others.Dr. Lee Promotes Breast Cancer AwarenessIn recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, Dr. Connie Lee, Board-Certied Oncologist, gave an informative presentation to our community about the impact of breast cancer. She shared ways to reduce risk, how to identify common signs and symptoms, and the importance of annual screenings. Thank you Dr. Lee for promoting breast cancer awareness and empowering those in our community to take charge of their health.
St. Mary Medical Dialogue 3Congrats Graduates and Welcome New ResidentsInternal Medicine Program, Class of 2024Please join us in congratulating Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Program, Class of 2024, and welcome our new residents. Our graduates are nishing their residency training as accomplished and well-rounded doctors with upcoming pursuits in hospital medicine, primary care, and further fellowship training. We’re so proud of them and know they will continue to accomplish great things!A special thank you to all of the wonderful faculty who worked with our residents and a big thank you to Neill Ramos, MD, Residency Program Director; Chester Choi, MD, Chief of Academic Medicine; and Kel Miller, Designated Institutional Ocial, for their amazing guidance and leadership.Congratulations Graduating ResidentsAlyssa Anderson, MD (Preliminary*)Alec Baktamian, DO (Preliminary*)Andrew Lai, DO (Preliminary*)Richard Martirosian, MD (Preliminary*)Gary Wong, MD (Preliminary*)Elijah Abdelmeseeh, MDChristopher Allahverdian, MDAhmed Cahla, MDDavid Chen, MDBrittany Hessell, DOPaola Ortiz, MDJoshua Varghese, DOJames Vu, DOSashini Weeraman, MDSiyuan Yang, MDIbrahim Yusufu, MDWelcome Incoming ResidentsSadaf Chaudry, MDSampreeti Chowdhuri, MDMargaret Huang, MDPatrick Huong, DOSavada Khodaverdi, MDAnimesh Mahapatra, MDMatthew Mansour, MDEdgar Muradyan, DOArun Paniker, DOKelsey Roman, MDDorothea Stibor, MDSeaverson Stoll, DOMichael Timonian, MDCameron Widhalm, DOSepideh Yadollahi, MDKimberly Yos, DO*These physicians participated in our Internal Medicine Program for one year.Welcome New Physicians to St. Mary Medical CenterAnesthesiologyRobert Burns, DOJustin Howard, MDCritical Care MedicineMichelle Miles, DOCritical Care SurgeryAdam Golden, MDDiagnostic RadiologyNaser Rahbar, MDEmergency MedicineJonathan Akstinas, DOEric Arnold, MDHospitalistAlexis Amonic, MDInternal MedicineTouradj Farhadi, MDInterventional RadiologyLeonard Dalag, MDNephrologyNourma Sajid, MDPsychiatryMonique Harrison, MDRadiation OncologyTania Kaprealian, MDUrologyMar Abboud, MDVascular SurgeryShahin Pourrabbani, MD
4 St. Mary Medical DialogueCALL FOR ARTICLES: We encourage members of the St. Mary Medical Staff to submit information or articles for publication. We welcome your input! Issues are published quarterly (Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring).Article submissions are due to the Communication Department a month in advance of the next quarterly issue.Please call Tracie Gipson, Medical Dialogue Editor at 818.522.4574 or email TracieCheesemangipson@CommonSpirit.org.EDITORIAL TEAMChristina ZicklinExecutive EditorTracie GipsonMedical Dialogue EditorJim Keany, MDChief Medical OfficerBonnie MathewsMedical Staff Coordinator1050 Linden Avenue • Long Beach, CA 90813 | 1.888.4STMARY (1.888.478.6279) | dignityhealth.org/stmarymedicalOur values are the core principles that enable us to deliver humankindness.CommonSpirit Values: Compassion | Inclusion | Integrity | Excellence | CollaborationPhysician Mixer Wrap UpThank you to all of our physicians who joined us for the Physician Mixer this past summer. It was a great opportunity for community physicians, specialists and hospital leaders to connect, meet new providers, share insights and build relationships.Dr. Joseph Naim and Damaris Pelayo, Market Development RepresentativeDr. Philip Hill and his daughter MackenzieCarolyn Caldwell, Hospital PresidentArlene Vernon, Chief of StaffDr. Usha Reddy, Dr. Darren Knight, Dr. Sherry Haghight (l-r)Dr. Kaushik Ivaturi, Dr. Ngoc Tram Tran and Dr. Hassanali Mohamedali (l-r)Dr. Modhavi Koka, Peachy Panlino, Argus CIO; and Dr. Barry Allswang (l-r)Armen Avetisyan, PA-C, Dr. Sabrina Villalba and Dr. Soorena Fatehchehr (l-r)