OUR VISION
WHAT WE DO
Education
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Networking
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Advocacy
OUR COMMUNITY
The Academy of Physician Associates in Cardiology consists of Physician Associates at all levels of their professional careers, ranging from PA students to clinically practicing PA’s, to those working in academia and beyond.
The Academy of Physician Associates in Cardiology (APAC) is a professional organization for Physician Associates who practice in Cardiology. We promote and advocate for increased utilization of PAs to provide high quality, cost-effective care to patients with cardiovascular disease.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Laura Ross, PA-C, AACC, CLS, DipACLM
President
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Viet Le, MPAS, PA-C FACC FAHA
Immediate Past President & Social Media Chair
Kevin Niles, PA-C
Past President
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Amy Simone, PA-C, FACC
Past President
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Brian Rose, PA-C, MPH, AACC
Treasurer
Lauren Eyadiel, PA-C, CCC-SLP, FHFSA
Heart Failure Chair
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Kimberly Berggren, PA-C
Electrophysiology Chair
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Robert R. Ross, PA-C
Chair of the Vascular Medicine Committee
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John Giacona, PhD, PA-C, CHC
Chair of Preventive Cardiology
Laura Ross, PA-C, AACC, CLS, DipACLM
APAC President
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Laura Ross is the President of APAC. She has been a cardiology physician assistant since 2004, when she graduated from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago IL. She works at the Park Nicollet Heart and Vascular Center near Minneapolis MN. The variety offered by rounding in a suburban hospital and clinic, as well as outreach to a more rural site has provided opportunities to be involved in a variety of cardiac specialties. Prevention, Women’s Health, and CAD are some of her favorites. She is a certified Clinical Lipid Specialist, and recently started a Plant Forward cardiology clinic program. It has been an honor to represent PAs on the ACC Interventional Leadership Council. Opportunities to advocate for patients “on the hill” during legislative days, present at conferences and contribute to journals have been career highlights. She enjoys spending time with her 3 little girls and 2 rescue dogs.
Viet Le, MPAS, PA-C FACC FAHA
Immediate Past President & Social Media Chair
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Viet obtained a BS in Exercise Science/Athletic Training in 2001 from the University of Utah and obtained a Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) in 2004 from the University of Utah School of Medicine. He has practiced 7 years in Occupational Medicine, 8 years in Cardiology, and since 2012 has held the position as Cardiovascular Scientist with the Intermountain Heart Institute Cardiology Research. His primary focus is CV research, collaborating across multiple cardiac sub-specialties on a vast array of trials/studies and continues to see patients in a general cardiology practice. He is part time faculty at the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions PA program and currently working on a doctorate (DMSc).
Kevin Niles, PA-C
Past President​
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Kevin received his B.S. in Physician Assistant studies at New York Institute of Technology and completed his MS in Physician Assistant studies at Touro School of Health Science. Kevin worked as the Chief Physician Assistant for the Cardio Thoracic Surgery department at Mount Sinai Hospital under the leadership of David Adams for 10 years. Since then Kevin has been serving as the Chief Physician Assistant at Stony Brook University Hospital on Long Island, providing a mix of clinical and administrative functions. In addition to these duties Kevin is an Active adjunct faculty for Touro School of Health where he teaches cardiology and Critical care.
Prior to his involvement with APAC, Kevin served on the CME committee for APACVS (Association of PA in Cardiovascular Surgery), and was Co-Chair of the APACVS national CME conference for 2015 and 2016. Kevin brings that experience with him to APAC where he has been instrumental in coordinating the 2019 and 2016 APAC CME annual meeting.
Kevin believes strongly in the mission to improve patient access to health care through advocacy and education for the PA profession. Kevin served as treasurer of APAC for 2015/2016 and president Elect from 2017-2020.
Amy Simone, PA-C, FACC
Past President
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Amy Simone is a Physician Assistant who received her training in Boston, MA at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She is entering her sixteenth year of practice as a PA, and has spent over a decade in the Structural Heart arena. She was the Structural Heart and Valve Coordinator at Emory University Midtown Hospital for over 6 years before transitioning to the Piedmont Heart Institute as the Director of the Marcus Heart Valve Center in 2017. She is a Past President of the Academy of Physician Associates in Cardiology (APAC) and in 2022 was appointed the APAC Structural Heart Disease Committee Chair. She is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and serves on the ACC Cardiovascular Team Section Leadership Council, the ACC Physician Assistant Committee and the ACC Georgia Chapter Program Committee. In 2019 she co-published a textbook entitled Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Program Development – A Guide for the Heart Team. She is passionate about patient advocacy and experience, program optimization, and addressing disparities in care. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband Michael and daughter Ivy.
Brian Rose, PA-C, MPH, AACC
Treasurer
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Brian is a cardiovascular physician assistant in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he has been a part of a large, private cardiovascular group for most of the last 5 years. His focus is primarily on general cardiology including cardiovascular risk reduction and lipidology but has dedicated a majority of his time to PAD and management of critical limb ischemia (CLI). CLI has provided many opportunities to collaborate across specialties. In addition to being a PA, Brian still participates in clinical research and currently serves as an Assistant Professor for the Methodist University PA Program. He is married to his wife Shannon of 5 years. They have a rescue dog named Murphy. In his spare time, Brian enjoys tennis, golf, wine, and traveling.
Lauren Eyadiel, PA-C, CCC-SLP, FHFSA
Heart Failure Chair
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Lauren received her B.A. in Communication Studies from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to obtain a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from James Madison University. After practicing as a speech-language pathologist, her curiosity was piqued for the management of comprehensive patient care. She then attended PA school at Wake Forest University. Following graduation, she spent a year practicing in critical care before moving on to her true passion, advanced heart failure. She currently works at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Advanced Heart Failure, Heart Transplant, and Mechanical Circulatory Support. In addition to clinical practice, Lauren enjoys clinical research and runs a course similar to ACLS for Heart Failure – The Acute Heart Failure Advanced Life Support Course. This is the only course of its kind in the United States and was adapted from a similar course created by Brazilian Cardiologists which is based on guideline management of acute heart failure. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Cyril and their two kids – Luke, their human baby, and Boomer, their Irish Doodle.
Kimberly Berggren, PA-C
Electrophysiology Chair​
Kimberly graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2004 with a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree. Her first job was in interventional cardiology, and cardiovascular disease has been her passion ever since. As a military spouse, she traveled around the world with her husband. As a PA, she gained experience in emergency medicine, hospital medicine, and internal medicine. She is now settled in the Florida panhandle and works in cardiac electrophysiology at Okaloosa Heart and Vascular Center in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. She helped develop the ED2EP program to facilitate early discharge from the emergency department to electrophysiology for patients with atrial flutter and SVT, in order to decrease admissions and hospital length of stay. Kimberly also developed protocols for same-day discharge of ablations, manages remote monitoring and implantable devices, and is a Coordinator for the Watchman Program. She is expected to graduate with her DMSc degree in December of this year with an emphasis in advanced clinical practice in cardiac electrophysiology.
Robert R. Ross, PA-C
Chair of the Vascular Medicine Committee
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Mr. Ross has performed or supervised more than 70,000 lower extremity physiologic ultrasound studies (including ABI, Segmental Pressures, Exercise Pre / Post- ABI) since 1993.
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Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM) Member
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American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Member
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American College of Cardiology (ACC) Member
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CLI Global Society Member
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Past President MiPAF Michigan Physician Assistant Foundation
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Past President Michigan Academy of Physician Assistants (MAPA) Member
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Past Affiliate Professor University of Detroit Mercy Physician Assistant Program
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Indiana University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program
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TRIAD DIAGNOSTIC TECHNOLOGIES, L.L.C. (I.D.T.F.) Michigan and Ohio Since 2003
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President-Clinical Affairs, Medical Education and Research Development
John Giacona, PhD, PA-C, CHC
Chair of Preventive Cardiology
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John earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017, and then earned his Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree from the UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2021 with local and national honors (Pi Alpha National Honor Society and Alpha Eta Inc. Honor Society). Currently, John works as a PA in the Department of Internal Medicine - Division of Cardiology at the Clinical Heart and Vascular Center at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. He practices in the field of clinical hypertension and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Clinical Research in the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions. Overall, his clinical and translational research interests include the neural control of blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein structure and function, and the influence of nutrition and various hormones on the autonomic control of blood pressure and vascular function in humans. Additionally, John has participated in several national and international oral and poster presentations over clinical hypertension. Along with APAC, John is a member of several professional organizations including the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the Texas Academy of Physician Assistants, the American College of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association.