I am a board-certified cardiologist at Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute.

At Memorial, we promise patient- and family-centered care. We have an outstanding, well-integrated team, including all aspects of diagnostic and therapeutic cardiology. Patients get the best of us in part because of how we all work together.

I chose a career in medicine because I like helping people and interacting with people every day. One of my favorite parts of the job is getting to spend time with my patients and getting to know them and their families.

At Memorial, we recognize that the family and the patient — who they are as a whole — play a role in the therapeutic bond that develops and the success of the care. If you don’t know who your patients are, what they do for a living, about their family structure, etc., then you really can’t treat their disease from a management perspective. You must understand who you are treating first. Because at the end of the day, any direction I give must be carried out for it to work.

My promise to my patients — and to myself — is that I will always give my best and the best care that I can deliver so I can help to make their lives a little bit better.

• Memorial Regional Hospital