O’Gara Named Executive Medical Director for Shapiro
Patrick T. O’Gara, MD, director of Clinical Cardiology, was named executive medical director of the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, a newly created position in April.
As the executive medical director, O’Gara serves as an ex officio member of the Cardiovascular Center of Excellence Leadership Committee (CCEL), the oversight group for all cardiovascular service line activities. He participates in strategic planning, collaborates with medical and surgical colleagues in the advancement of joint programs and advises on capital expenditures, recruitments and other operational priorities.
The creation of this new position comes after the death of Ken Baughman, MD, who was director of the Advanced Heart Disease Section of the BWH Cardiovascular Division, in November 2009.
“Ken was a beloved clinician, a superb teacher and an extraordinary leader, and we all miss him. He defined and served so admirably in this role, albeit unofficially, and our appointment of Pat to this position is an important testament to Ken’s enduring legacy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital,” said Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, chairman of the Department of Medicine and chair of the Cardiovascular Center of Excellence Leadership Committee.
“Pat brings a combination of dynamic leadership skills and a strong clinical acumen to this position, and he sets the highest standards of quality and commitment to his patients,” Loscalzo added.
O’Gara earned his MD from Northwestern University and completed his internship and residency at MGH, where he was chief resident for Medicine and practiced as an attending cardiologist for approximately 10 years. He came to BWH in 1995, when he began as director of Clinical Cardiology. In addition, O’Gara has served as the medical director of the Partners HealthCare System Cardiac Service Line/Cardiac Executive Committee since 2001, a role in which he is responsible, in collaboration with others, for coordination of clinical initiatives, outcomes reporting and quality oversight. In summer 2008, O’Gara was named medical director of the Watkins Cardiovascular Clinics.
His clinical activities include a regional and national referral practice for patients with valvular heart disease, diseases of the aorta and complex CAD. He attends on the inpatient services of the Cardiovascular Division several months each year, is actively involved in HMS, resident and fellow teaching and participates in NHLBI sponsored research in patients with valvular and coronary artery disease.