UK HealthCare

Gill Heart & Vascular Institute to host affiliate meeting in Lexington

graphic rendering of heart and blood vessels
magicmine, iStock / Getty Images Plus.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 12, 2022) UK HealthCare’s Gill Heart & Vascular Institute Affiliate Network is holding their annual conference on Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Lexington Marriott City Center in downtown Lexington. Conference sessions will focus on the latest advances in cardiovascular medicine as well as trends and challenges facing cardiovascular programs. 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Kentucky, and the state has one of the highest rates of heart disease in the country. To help fight this battle, UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute’s cardiovascular specialists and experts work closely with a large number of affiliate network hospitals across the state to enhance access to high-quality cardiovascular care and to provide the right care in the right place at the right time.

Cardiovascular medicine is rapidly changing given the advent of new technologies and protocols to help treat patients with increasing complexity of disease. Through the network, specialists at the UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute provide cardiovascular-specific education and training programs for a variety of health care professionals to ensure the most up-to-date cardiovascular knowledge is available to them.

“After two years of meeting virtually, we’re pleased to return to an in-person event,” said Navin Rajagopalan, M.D, director of the Gill Heart & Vascular Institute Affiliate Network. “Experts in cardiovascular medicine will come together and share ideas on how to deliver the best possible comprehensive care to all Kentuckians.”

Speakers at the conference will include a variety of local, regional, and national health care providers and researchers who will deliver updates on several cardiovascular topics, including clinical care, quality, policy, and program management and administration.

These featured speakers include:

  • Amit Arbune, M.D., assistant professor, Advanced Cardiac Imaging and Cardio-Oncology, UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute;
  • Audra Byers, director of Cardiovascular Services & Accreditation, Georgetown Community Hospital;
  • Chrissy Daniels, chief experience officer, Press Ganey;
  • John Gurley, M.D., director, Structural Heart Program, UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute;
  • Edward Jauch, M.D., adjunct professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina; chief of System Research and director of the Mission Research Institute, Mission Health System;
  • Julia Jones Akhtarekhavari, heart failure operations director, UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute;
  • Alexander Kuhn, national manager quality improvement, American Heart Association;
  • Aaron Mauck, Ph.D., vice president and executive partner, Advisory Board Company;
  • Shorus Minella, cardiac rehabilitation educational coordinator, UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute;
  • Lisa Nicholls, accreditation review specialist, American College of Cardiology;
  • Navin Rajagopalan, M.D., professor, Internal Medicine; director, Gill Heart & Vascular Institute Affiliate Network;
  • Brittany Smith, Pharm. D., clinical pharmacist, UK HealthCare;
  • Vincent Sorrell, M.D., acting chief, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute; and
  • Tukea Talbert, chief diversity officer, UK HealthCare.

Continuing education is available for this event and all Gill Affiliate Network members receive complimentary registration. For additional information about the conference or the Gill Affiliate Network, please contact Rebecca Craft at rebecca.craft@uky.edu.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.