March 06, 2009

Turlock, Emad Najjar, MD, has joined Turlock Heart and Vascular Institute as a non-invasive cardiologist. He shares the practice with Reza Vafadouste, MD, and Oussama Dagher, MD. Two more physicians will join the practice this summer.

Dr. Najjar is trained in CT angiography and sees that as a promising treatment for many patients. 

“The technology is still evolving,” he says. “It’s replacing cardiac catheterization in many types of patients since there is less exposure to radiation and less risk to the patient compared with cardiac catheterization. CT angiography is less expensive and can be done on a patient at intermediate or low risk who comes to the ER with chest pains.”

Dr. Najjar treats patients like close friends or family members “with the utmost respect and the best care we can offer,” he says. “It’s part of my upbringing.”

He tries to give patients as much information as possible and offer them different options. “In the past, the physician was looked at as an authoritative father figure,” he explains, “but that is changing. Many choices are in the gray area and are not black and white. Whatever treatment you choose, there are benefits and risks. Ultimately the patients are responsible for their health.” 

Dr. Najjar always planned to be a cardiologist but since he came here from a foreign country, it has taken him longer to realize his goal. He recently completed a three-year cardiology fellowship at the University of Alberta in Canada and will take exams next winter to become board certified in cardiology, he is already board certified in internal medicine (ABIM) and emergency medicine (BCEM).

He earned undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Damascus in his native Syria and moved to the US in 1991 for an internal medicine residency at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. He has worked as an ER physician at Community Hospital in Staunton, Ill., and also at St. John Hospital in Springfield.

Dr. Najjar had several interviews prior to selecting Turlock. Although a few were appealing, the towns and groups were too large. “Everyone here was very welcoming,” he says. “I liked the group and the town and felt at home right off the bat. You spend as much time with those people as you do with your spouse, so

you have to feel comfortable.”

Turlock Heart and Vascular Institute is located at 2141 Colorado Ave., in Turlock. Appointments can be made at (209) 634-2600.