When it comes to understanding your heart, being able to see it offers valuable insight. Amit Patel, MD, a heart disease specialist at UVA Health, studies the use of noninvasive imaging tools. Having new methods to look at the way a heart functions lets Patel understand the causes and course of a patient’s heart disease, and how to help it get better.
Meet a Charlottesville-Based Heart Care Specialist
We sat down with Patel and asked him our 7 Quick Questions.
1. What has most inspired and shaped your approach to patient care?
I'm a very visual person. So, for me to fully understand what's going on with the patient, first, I need to be able to spend the time to speak to the patient and get a good understanding of what their limitations are. Then I'd like to be able to image the heart in a very accurate way so that I can really understand exactly how the heart's working and where the damage is so that I can then take the testing findings back in time together with the patient to understand what's going on.
2. What’s your favorite part of your job?
Taking care of patients and seeing them in the clinic is certainly one of the things I enjoy most. But beyond that, working with the engineers and their developments is a real highlight for me.
3. What’s your biggest fear when you’re a patient?
I'm afraid that they're going to find something that can't be treated and there's nothing that they can do to help me.
4. What do you do for stress relief?
I enjoy walking and hiking. Charlottesville's particularly great for that, with the mountains and the flowers and the birds. I think just spending some time outside is pretty relaxing.
5. Dogs or Cats?
Neither.
Wondering About Your Heart?
A UVA Health cardiologist can answer your questions about your heart health.
6. What’s the last movie you saw? Thumbs up or down?
The latest movie I've seen is The Woman King. It's a movie about essentially a commoner who goes on to become the queen of a small tribe in Africa and saves her people from slavery. Definitely a thumbs up.
7. What’s the best advice that you’ve ever heard?
Do something that you enjoy. It’s never a job if you enjoy it.
