| Staff Biographies
Aseem Desai, M.D
 Dr. Aseem Desai is a cardiac electrophysiologist, a cardiologist that specializes in heart rhythm disorders. A native of Chicago, Illinois, he received his B.A. and M.D. degrees
from Northwestern University. He did his medical internship, residency, honorary chief residency, cardiology fellowship, and electrophysiology fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center. He served on the faculty at the University of Chicago and was the Director of Implantable Device Therapy which included a clinic devoted to patients with pacemakers and implantable defibrillators.
Dr. Desai is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, and Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology. He has numerous clinical and research interests including catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias, biventricular pacing for congestive heart failure, and ICD technology to prevent sudden cardiac death in at risk individuals.
Dr. Desai's philosophy in delivering medical care is patient-centric. He believes putting oneself in a patient's shoes is the best way to make the tough medical decisions doctors and patients have to face. Furthermore, he believes in the motto "what would you (doctor) recommend if I (patient) were a family member of yours?"
Stephen Ehrlich, M.D., F.A.C.C
 Dr. Ehrlich received his B.S. degree in biochemistry at UCLA. He then attended the University of Vermont College of Medicine. After completing his internal medicine internship and residency at USC, he completed his cardiology training at UCI. He trained two additional years in the field of clinical cardiac electrophysiology. Dr. Ehrlich is board certified in internal medicine, cardiology and clinical cardiac electrophysiology.
Abslom Hepner, M.D.
 Dr. Hepner received his Bachelors in the Arts from Princeton University, where he graduated in 1993. He attended medical school and performed his internship and residency at University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Hepner completed his training with a fellowship in cardiology at University of California, Irvine. His focus was on non-invasive imaging techniques and he published original articles on echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Hepner is double board certified in Echocardiography and Nuclear Cardiology.
Dr. Hepner joined the staff of the Cardiology Division of MIMG in July of 2006. He is continuing his academic involvement in cardiology as a faculty member at University of California, Irvine where he is pursuing his interests in teaching and research.
Zeke IP M.D., Phd
 Dr. Ip joined the Cardiology Division, joining in 2001. Dr. Ip came to MIMG from Stanford University Medical Center where he completed his general cardiology training as well as a subspecialty training in heart failure and transplant cardiology. Prior to his work at Stanford, Dr. Ip received his internal medicine training at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution and at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Ip graduated from Brown University Medical School where he received both his MD and PhD. He received his B.S. from Caltech.
Dr. Ip is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and Subspecialty Board of Cardiovascular Diseases. Dr. Ip has a major interest in heart failure and has published extensively in medical and scientific journals.
Richard Jacob, M.D.
 Dr. Jacob obtained his M.D. degree from the University of Colorado, graduating in 1971. He completed his internship at Straight Medicine - LAC - USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, California and his internal medicine residency at LAC - USC Medical Center, Los Angeles. He was appointed Clinical Instructor, LAC - USC Medical Center from 1976 to 1977. Dr. Jacob is on staff at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center and has been in private practice of cardiology with Mission Internal Medical Group since 1977.
• Board Certified in Internal Medicine, 1976
• Board Certified in Cardiovascular Disease, 1977
• Fellow - American College of Cardiology.
David Kawanishi, M.D., F.A.C.C
 Dr. Kawanishi is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1972 and his M.D. degree from Yale University in 1976. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the LAC+USC Medical Center and was a Chief Resident in Internal Medicine in 1979 - 80. He completed his cardiology fellowship under Dr. S.H. Rahimtoola at the University of Southern California in 1983 and joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Medicine. He was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Medicine in 1988. He has been director of the USC Pacemaker Center and the USC University Hospital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. He was Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at the LAC + USC Medical Center from 1990 to June 1997.
He went into private practice in June 1997 with Mission Internal Medical Group (MIMG). He continues to do clinical research and is Director of the Multispecialty Research Department at MIMG and maintains his Clinical Associate Professorship at the University of Southern California.
He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and Subspecialty Board of Cardiovascular Diseases. He also has passed the NASPExam for special expertise in management of pacemakers and implantable cardiac defibrillators.
Dr. Kawanishi has research interests in catheter balloon valvuloplasty for treatment of mitral stenosis, uses of the laser intracoronary plaque ablation and for removal of chronically implanted pacemaker and defibrillator leads, drug treatment of angina, ischemia, and hypertension, and new designs for permanent pacemaker leads. He has become an Instructor and Proctor for Excimer Laser Use in the cardiac catheterization laboratories at the regional and international levels. He is a reviewer for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, PACE, and Catheterization and Cardiovascular Diagnosis. He is currently on the Steering Committee of the Physician Advisory Panel on Management of the Accufix (pacemaker lead) recall and safety alert and presented at the 1997 Policy Conference on Lead Extraction for the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology.
Daniel Kulick M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I.
 Dr. Kulick did his undergraduate training at the University of Southern California, along with his medical school training. He did an Internal Medicine Internship and Residency at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center and then a Cardiology Fellowship at USC. He was the Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at the Albuquerque VA Hospital in 1987 and 1988. From 1988 to 1990, he was the Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at USC. He has been in practice with Mission Internal Medical Group, specializing in Interventional Cardiology, since June of 1990. Dr. Kulick is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a Fellow of the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions. He has numerous publications in the field of Interventional Cardiology. In addition, Dr. Kulick was the Chief of Staff for the Medical Staff of Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center for the year 2000.
• American Board of Internal Medicine, Diplomate 1984
• American Board of Internal Medicine, Subspecialty Board of Cardiovascular Diseases, Diplomate 1987, with added qualification Interventional Cardiology 1991
Arthur Loussararian M.D., F.A.C.C.
 Dr. Loussararian received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. He attended UCLA Medical School, graduating in 1991. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in cardiology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He completed an additional year of training in Interventional Cardiology at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. During his medical training, Dr. Loussararian also studied at the Centro Cuore Columbus cardiology research laboratory in Milan, Italy. He has participated in volunteer community activities in Los Angeles county, serving as attending cardiologist at the Venice Family Clinic. Dr. Loussararian joined Mission Internal Medical Group in 1998. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.
Dr. Loussararian is Board Certified in Interventional Cardiology, and has a special area of interest in endovascular therapy for peripheral vascular disease and Carotid artery disease, as well as percutaneous therapy for patent foramen ovale and atrial septal defect.
Michael Miyamoto M.D., F.A.C.C
 Dr. Miyamoto received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Stanford University where he graduated with Distinction and Departmental Honors. He attended medical school at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. He then completed his internal medicine residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston. Following this, he was a clinical and research fellow in Cardiology, Heart Failure and Transplantation at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
His numerous academic awards include:
• 1987 Phi Beta Kappa
• 1988 Graduation with Distinction and Departmental Honors, Stanford University
• 1990 A. Baird Hastings Society, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine
• 1992 Outstanding Thesis Award, Second Prize, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine
• 1996 Roman W. De Sanctis Clinical Scholar Award, Massachusetts General Hospital
• 1998 Young Investigator Award, Heart Failure Society of America.
Dr. Miyamoto was also involved in teaching and cardiac research. In 1998, he was an instructor for medical students in Cardiovascular Pathophysiology, Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard University/Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He performed basic and clinical research, and published extensively in medical and scientific journals.
He is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. His major research interests are in the areas of heart failure and cardiac imaging.
Donald Rediker M.D., F.A.C.C
 Dr. Rediker received his bachelor of science degrees in both Chemistry and Biology from M.I.T. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior in 1976. He completed his medical school training at Washington University School of Medicine, and was elected to the Alpha Omega Honor Society in 1981. He received his Internal Medicine Residency training at Stanford University Hospital. He then served as a Clinical and Research Fellow in Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Rediker has been in private practice in Cardiology as a member of the Mission Internal Medical Group since 1987 and has served as President and Vice-President of Mission Internal Medical Group. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine.
Gregory Thomas M.D., M.P.H.
 Dr. Thomas serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. His primary clinical activity is with Mission Internal Medical Group where he directs the Nuclear Cardiology program. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology with whom he initiated the Report Card project, providing a template for the development of Quality Assurance programs in nuclear cardiology throughout the country and abroad. He serves on numerous ASNC Committees including chairing the Community Based Practice Committee.
Dr. Thomas received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco and Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Berkley. Postgraduate training includes an Internship and Residency in Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and fellowships in cardiology at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Thomas has contributed a wide variety of articles, editorials, letters and abstracts to the medical and scientific literature. His work has appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Nuclear Cardiology as well as the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Kayvan Binaei, PA
 Kayvan Binaei, PA
Jennifer Altamira RNP
 Jennifer Altamira received her undergraduate degree in Nursing at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California in 2000. She worked at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration Hospital in the Coronary Care Unit as a charge nurse before receiving her Masters degree in Nursing at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2004. While there she was elected to the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She completed her graduate training with LA Cardiology at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Cardiology in Mission Viejo and at a private Internal Medicine practice in Torrance.
Jennifer is Board Certified as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specializing in Cardiology. Following graduation she joined the Cardiologists at Mission Internal Medical Group and is affiliated with Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center.
Peggy Kirkwood RNP
 Peggy Kirkwood received her original nursing degree in 1977 in the Chicago area. She held various cardiac surgery intensive care nursing positions in Evanston, Illinois and Atlanta, Georgia for 13 years. After moving to Southern California in 1990, she worked at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for 6 years as the Volunteer Services Coordinator. In 1996, she went to graduate school at UCLA, finishing in 1999 with an MSN and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner degree. She starting working full time at Mission Hospital as a Cardiac Advanced Practice Nurse and in 2000 also took a part time position with Mission Internal Medical Group in the newly established Cardiology Heart Failure Program with Dr. Miyamoto and Dr. Ip. She continues to work both positions. In addition, she does speaking to heart failure nursing professionals locally, as well as to the community. She serves on the American College of Cardiology Heart Failure and Transplant Committee, and received the Excellent Nurse Practitioner Award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses in 2006. She is currently editing an Advance Critical Care textbook to be published in 2007.
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March | 2007
