Sharp Memorial's Mechanical Circulatory Support Medical Team

Our multidisciplinary medical team provides unparalleled expertise and experience to ensure that you receive the best care. Meet our multidisciplinary medical team and directors below.

Front row (left to right): Dr. Sam Baradarian, Dr. Christopher Morache, Dr. Peter Hoagland, Dr. Robert Adamson, Dr. Walter Dembitsky, Dr. Brian Jaski, Dr. Raymond Chinn and Dr. Kalman Holdy. Back row (left to right): James Cicciarelli, PhD; Jason Benwell, PT; Kathy Koerner; Kristen Fischer; Marcia Stahovich, RN; Vicki McCalmont, RN; Suzanne Chillcott, RN; Kristi Ortiz, RN; Kathy Spivey, RN; Cynthia Walsh, RN; Leslie Hazard, RN; Sheila Boone, MT; and Dr. Joseph Chammas.
Not Pictured: Jennie Yellin, David Brown; Sheila Kantor; John Englebert and Bruce Williams.

Dr. Robert Adamson

Dr. Robert Adamson, medical director, Cardiac Transplant Program at Sharp Memorial Hospital. Dr. Adamson received his undergraduate degree at the University of Utah, where he also completed his internship and residency in general surgery. Dr. Adamson went on to complete a fellowship in cardiac transplantation at Stanford University Medical Center. 

Dr. Adamson began his practice in San Diego in 1987. He is board-certified in surgery and thoracic surgery and is a member of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Dr. Walter Dembitsky

Dr. Walter Dembitsky, medical director, cardiac surgery and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Sharp Memorial Hospital. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Missouri, where he also completed his surgical internship. Dr. Dembitsky completed a general surgery residency and was chief resident in general surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. He then went on to complete a residency in cardiothoracic surgery and was chief resident in cardiothoracic surgery at Washington University. Dr. Dembitsky completed research fellowships at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Mass.; Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.; and Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

Dr. Dembitsky has been practicing in San Diego since 1978. He is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He is a noted researcher and author on topics related to the use of mechanical assist device.

Dr. Peter Hoagland

Dr. Peter M. Hoagland, MD, FACC, medical director, Cardiology Diagnostic Services at Sharp Memorial Hospital. Dr. Hoagland received his undergraduate degree from Harvard and his medical degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. Dr. Hoagland completed his cardiology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Bayside Medical Center in Springfield, Mass.

Dr. Hoagland is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Cardiovascular Disease. He is a member of the American College of Cardiology. He is a published author on the following subjects: aortic stenosis, cardiac transplant, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction.

Dr. Brian Jaski

Dr. Brian Jaski, MD, FACC, medical director, Advanced Heart Failure and Clinical Cardiology Program at Sharp Memorial Hospital. Dr. Jaski received his undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering and biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He was a resident in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Hospital and was a clinical research fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Jaski is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. He is a noted author and researcher in topics related to heart failure and cardiac transplantation.

Suzanne Chillcott, RN

Suzanne Chillcott, BSN, RN, lead of the Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) Department at Sharp Memorial Hospital. Suzanne received her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1981 from Northern Michigan University. She worked as a staff nurse on a medical-surgical floor at Newport Rhode Island Hospital and, later, in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care unit at Baptist Medical Center in Florida, where she became head nurse of that unit. She began her career at Sharp HealthCare in 1986 as a staff nurse in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and has been the lead in Sharp Memorial’s MCS Department since 1994.

 

Suzanne has also been an invited lecturer on various MCS topics at multiple conferences, including the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the International Society of Thoracic Surgeons. In addition, she has written several articles and abstracts on topics related to MCS, which have been published in a variety of medical and nursing journals.

Marcia Stahovich, RN, CCRN, advanced clinician, Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) Department at Sharp Memorial Hospital. Marcia received her associate’s degree in nursing in 1986 from Palomar College in San Marcos. Marcia has been a Certified Critical Care Nurse (CCRN) for more than 20 years and has critical care experience in interventional radiology and Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) staff development. She began her career at Sharp HealthCare in 1990 as a clinical nurse in SICU and in 2001 she was named an advanced clinician for the MCS Department.

Marcia is the past president of the San Diego chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. She also enjoys teaching and created an intranet self-learning module for cardiovascular surgical site incisions. In addition, Marcia teaches classes on competency development, MCS and cardiac surgery/pacing.

For More Information
To find a Sharp-affiliated doctor, search for a San Diego cardiologist or call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm.