Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp (CHCm) opened its doors 25 years ago, since 1993 and has proven itself.
OUR TEAM
Medical Publications
– Mr Atri Rampersad
Assistant to Managing Director
Director of Cardiology, Research, Education and Development (CHCm)
As the Director of Cardiology, Research and Education for Caribbean Heart Care- Medcorp (CHCm), Dr. Risshi D. Rampersad has been dedicated to St. Clair Medical Centre- Medcorp Limited (SCMC) since 2005. During his tenure, he became the forefront of Cardiology and established CHCm’s Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology Departments. He is also crucial to CHCm’s Research, Education and Development Department and his work has been published in renowned International Medical Journals.
Dr. Rampersad is a graduate of McGill University, The University of the West Indies and Ascardio Cardiovascular Teaching Hospital, in Venezuela. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), European Society of Cardiology (FESC), Inter-American Society of Cardiology and Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and holds membership in several International Cardiology Societies: the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC), British Cardiovascular Society (BSC), Venezuelan Society of Cardiology (SCV), Society of Interventional Cardiology of Venezuela (SOVECI), and European Association of Percutaneous Interventions (EAPCI). He frequently asserts, however, that accolades such as these mean nothing unless you have a passion for and thoroughly enjoy what you do. That is what allows for the best health care and superior patient satisfaction.
A visionary, Dr. Rampersad pioneered the First Primary Angioplasty Team (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Team) in Trinidad and Tobago. His stewardship of this Team has helped save the lives of many patients suffering with an acute heart attack. He says, “Being a part of this team is one of the most gratifying facets of my job; our hearts are truly set on saving lives. Knowing, and seeing our patients get back to normal daily lives with their loved ones is thrilling. Our Clinical and Administrative Team really deserves all praises as they are unseen heroes.
Through his passion for saving persons from heart attacks, Dr. Rampersad continues to initiate and develop other successful Heart and Vascular programs including: Interventional Neuroradiology/ Radiology, Vascular and Endovascular, Electrophysiology and Structural Heart Disease and Echocardiology. It should be noted, that the Echocardiology Department comprises a Team of highly skilled Echocardiographers in the Caribbean, who have, to the date of publishing this, performed over 4000 Stress Echos, since 2009, and have done over 30,000 Echos on cardiovascular patients. The Research, Education and Development Department has also published a multitude of articles, and continues to grow and make tremendous clinical and academic impact on Cardiovascular Disease, in Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr. Rampersad and his Team have also successfully executed many first-time procedures in the English speaking Caribbean. In 2015, they implanted the first TAVI, which is the replacement of the aortic heart valve, without open surgery but through intervention in the leg.
Since 2017, he has worked regionally through his company, Heart and Vascular Imaging Caribbean (HaVIC), to provide Cardiovascular Care to thousands of patients in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Grenada.
Dr. Rampersad has a knack for motivating his Team, and that results in them going beyond their call of duty. He trusts in the Golden Rule, “do onto others as you would have them do onto you,” which is directly attributable to his teams continued growth in experience and commitment to saving lives. He is also known to fosters laughter in the workplace and believes in the importance of enabling persons to enjoy their job as much as they could, thus, adapting the work environment to ensure utmost productivity coupled with patient and staff happiness. “I am usually most excited for our quarterly staff meeting; to see what new our Team has advocated and how best we can improve.”
Dr. Rampersad is a stickler for quality in the delivery of health care and provides medical care that is both patient and family oriented. He advises that, “Putting yourself in the patient’s and their family’s position helps to give an understanding of the kindness and the compassion required of our personnel. Think of the patient in bed as your mother or father, and you would know exactly what to do.”
Process improvement is deeply important to Dr. Rampersad. To achieve this, he inspires and leads his Team with the ultimate goal to ensure CHCm maintains its status as a world-class Cardiovascular Centre, and flourishes into one of the largest cardiac facility of its kind; working tirelessly to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with the disease.
CHCm’s Team is synonymous to Dr. Rampersad’s family and he attributes a tremendous amount of his success and the Team’s success to having a family-oriented, self-motivated and passionate work environment.
Apart from yoga and swimming, Dr. Rampersad enjoys spending quality time with his family; his three children who are his greatest blessing and whom he hopes one day will have a positive impact on the world. He makes special mention to his wife, who not only he considers to be his best friend but a crucial member of his Team; she ensures that he remains grounded and focused, and exceptionally organizes and manages his life outside of Cardiology. “I love what I do, I love helping people stay healthy and happy through my work. I could never continue my passion for Cardiology without the love and support of my family and my Team.”
– Dr. Risshi D. Rampersad, B.Sc., MB., BS, FACC, FESC, FSIAC, FSCAI.
Director of Cardiology
Director of Research, Education and Department
Interventional and Clinical Cardiologist
– Dr. Purandath Lall
Director of the Vascular and Endovascular department
Dr. Purandath Lall joined CHCm in 2013 as the Director of Vascular and Endovascular Services and to this date he is the only Vascular surgeon and endovascular interventionlist in the English speaking Caribbean.
He obtained his MB.,BS at the University of the West Indies graduating in 1994, and later completed his post graduate studies in surgery in the United Kingdom graduating in 1999 FRCS(Ed). He subsequently gained further experience in Vascular Surgery at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in Scotland. In 2001 he travelled to the USA and started his General Surgery residency training at the SUNY (Buffalo and in 2005 completed his surgical training at the UMDNJ-RWJMS Cooper University hospital in 2005.
Again in 2005, he entered the competitive Vascular Surgery Fellowship in Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and graduated in 2007 and was nominated Fellow teacher of the year.
He joined the department of Surgery at the VA Western NY Healthcare System in Buffalo as a Vascular and Endovascular Surgen and the State University of New York at Buffalo as a clinical Assistant Profeesor of Vascular Surgery. By 2009, he became the Chief of Vascular Surgery Services at the VA western NY Healthcare System.
Todate, Dr. Lall has performed over 2000 vascular procedures saving the lives and limbs of multiple patients. He is double board certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery and Vascular Surgery .
Dr. Lall is currently a key reviewer for the prestigious Journal of Vascular Surgery and has written multiple book chapters on vascular disorders. He has more than 45 presentations and publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
– Dr. Dale Maharaj
MBBS,FRCS,FICS,FICA,CWS,FACS,RPVI
Vascular Surgeon
– Dr. William Torres MD, MTSVC, SOVECI, SOLACI
Chief Interventional Cardiologist, Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp
Director of Cardiology, Research, Education and Development (CHCm)
As the Director of Cardiology, Research and Education for Caribbean Heart Care- Medcorp (CHCm), Dr. Risshi D. Rampersad has been dedicated to St. Clair Medical Centre- Medcorp Limited (SCMC) since 2005. During his tenure, he became the forefront of Cardiology and established CHCm’s Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology Departments. He is also crucial to CHCm’s Research, Education and Development Department and his work has been published in renowned International Medical Journals.
Dr. Rampersad is a graduate of McGill University, The University of the West Indies and Ascardio Cardiovascular Teaching Hospital, in Venezuela. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), European Society of Cardiology (FESC), Inter-American Society of Cardiology and Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and holds membership in several International Cardiology Societies: the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC), British Cardiovascular Society (BSC), Venezuelan Society of Cardiology (SCV), Society of Interventional Cardiology of Venezuela (SOVECI), and European Association of Percutaneous Interventions (EAPCI). He frequently asserts, however, that accolades such as these mean nothing unless you have a passion for and thoroughly enjoy what you do. That is what allows for the best health care and superior patient satisfaction.
A visionary, Dr. Rampersad pioneered the First Primary Angioplasty Team (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Team) in Trinidad and Tobago. His stewardship of this Team has helped save the lives of many patients suffering with an acute heart attack. He says, “Being a part of this team is one of the most gratifying facets of my job; our hearts are truly set on saving lives. Knowing, and seeing our patients get back to normal daily lives with their loved ones is thrilling. Our Clinical and Administrative Team really deserves all praises as they are unseen heroes.
Through his passion for saving persons from heart attacks, Dr. Rampersad continues to initiate and develop other successful Heart and Vascular programs including: Interventional Neuroradiology/ Radiology, Vascular and Endovascular, Electrophysiology and Structural Heart Disease and Echocardiology. It should be noted, that the Echocardiology Department comprises a Team of highly skilled Echocardiographers in the Caribbean, who have, to the date of publishing this, performed over 4000 Stress Echos, since 2009, and have done over 30,000 Echos on cardiovascular patients. The Research, Education and Development Department has also published a multitude of articles, and continues to grow and make tremendous clinical and academic impact on Cardiovascular Disease, in Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr. Rampersad and his Team have also successfully executed many first-time procedures in the English speaking Caribbean. In 2015, they implanted the first TAVI, which is the replacement of the aortic heart valve, without open surgery but through intervention in the leg.
Since 2017, he has worked regionally through his company, Heart and Vascular Imaging Caribbean (HaVIC), to provide Cardiovascular Care to thousands of patients in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Grenada.
Dr. Rampersad has a knack for motivating his Team, and that results in them going beyond their call of duty. He trusts in the Golden Rule, “do onto others as you would have them do onto you,” which is directly attributable to his teams continued growth in experience and commitment to saving lives. He is also known to fosters laughter in the workplace and believes in the importance of enabling persons to enjoy their job as much as they could, thus, adapting the work environment to ensure utmost productivity coupled with patient and staff happiness. “I am usually most excited for our quarterly staff meeting; to see what new our Team has advocated and how best we can improve.”
Dr. Rampersad is a stickler for quality in the delivery of health care and provides medical care that is both patient and family oriented. He advises that, “Putting yourself in the patient’s and their family’s position helps to give an understanding of the kindness and the compassion required of our personnel. Think of the patient in bed as your mother or father, and you would know exactly what to do.”
Process improvement is deeply important to Dr. Rampersad. To achieve this, he inspires and leads his Team with the ultimate goal to ensure CHCm maintains its status as a world-class Cardiovascular Centre, and flourishes into one of the largest cardiac facility of its kind; working tirelessly to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with the disease.
CHCm’s Team is synonymous to Dr. Rampersad’s family and he attributes a tremendous amount of his success and the Team’s success to having a family-oriented, self-motivated and passionate work environment.
Apart from yoga and swimming, Dr. Rampersad enjoys spending quality time with his family; his three children who are his greatest blessing and whom he hopes one day will have a positive impact on the world. He makes special mention to his wife, who not only he considers to be his best friend but a crucial member of his Team; she ensures that he remains grounded and focused, and exceptionally organizes and manages his life outside of Cardiology. “I love what I do, I love helping people stay healthy and happy through my work. I could never continue my passion for Cardiology without the love and support of my family and my Team.”
– Dr. Risshi D. Rampersad, B.Sc., MB., BS, FACC, FESC, FSIAC, FSCAI.
Director of Cardiology
Director of Research, Education and Department
Interventional and Clinical Cardiologist
– Dr. Carlos Calderas
MD, SOVECI
Endovascular, Structural Heart disease Interventionalist and Interventional Cardiologist
Keshav ramnarine joined CHCM in 2006 and holds a BSc from the University of London’s Distance learning programme and a MBA from the Herriot Watt University (2013). “Having worked in the health sector I know the importance of providing patients and members of their family the support and guidance through their difficult times, I am happy to be a part of a company that is involved in providing solutions to patients and loved ones in times of medical distress”.
– Mr. Keshav Ramnarine BA, MBA
Catheterization Laboratory Manager
Director of Cardiology, Research, Education and Development (CHCm)
As the Director of Cardiology, Research and Education for Caribbean Heart Care- Medcorp (CHCm), Dr. Risshi D. Rampersad has been dedicated to St. Clair Medical Centre- Medcorp Limited (SCMC) since 2005. During his tenure, he became the forefront of Cardiology and established CHCm’s Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology Departments. He is also crucial to CHCm’s Research, Education and Development Department and his work has been published in renowned International Medical Journals.
Dr. Rampersad is a graduate of McGill University, The University of the West Indies and Ascardio Cardiovascular Teaching Hospital, in Venezuela. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), European Society of Cardiology (FESC), Inter-American Society of Cardiology and Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and holds membership in several International Cardiology Societies: the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC), British Cardiovascular Society (BSC), Venezuelan Society of Cardiology (SCV), Society of Interventional Cardiology of Venezuela (SOVECI), and European Association of Percutaneous Interventions (EAPCI). He frequently asserts, however, that accolades such as these mean nothing unless you have a passion for and thoroughly enjoy what you do. That is what allows for the best health care and superior patient satisfaction.
A visionary, Dr. Rampersad pioneered the First Primary Angioplasty Team (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Team) in Trinidad and Tobago. His stewardship of this Team has helped save the lives of many patients suffering with an acute heart attack. He says, “Being a part of this team is one of the most gratifying facets of my job; our hearts are truly set on saving lives. Knowing, and seeing our patients get back to normal daily lives with their loved ones is thrilling. Our Clinical and Administrative Team really deserves all praises as they are unseen heroes.
Through his passion for saving persons from heart attacks, Dr. Rampersad continues to initiate and develop other successful Heart and Vascular programs including: Interventional Neuroradiology/ Radiology, Vascular and Endovascular, Electrophysiology and Structural Heart Disease and Echocardiology. It should be noted, that the Echocardiology Department comprises a Team of highly skilled Echocardiographers in the Caribbean, who have, to the date of publishing this, performed over 4000 Stress Echos, since 2009, and have done over 30,000 Echos on cardiovascular patients. The Research, Education and Development Department has also published a multitude of articles, and continues to grow and make tremendous clinical and academic impact on Cardiovascular Disease, in Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr. Rampersad and his Team have also successfully executed many first-time procedures in the English speaking Caribbean. In 2015, they implanted the first TAVI, which is the replacement of the aortic heart valve, without open surgery but through intervention in the leg.
Since 2017, he has worked regionally through his company, Heart and Vascular Imaging Caribbean (HaVIC), to provide Cardiovascular Care to thousands of patients in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Grenada.
Dr. Rampersad has a knack for motivating his Team, and that results in them going beyond their call of duty. He trusts in the Golden Rule, “do onto others as you would have them do onto you,” which is directly attributable to his teams continued growth in experience and commitment to saving lives. He is also known to fosters laughter in the workplace and believes in the importance of enabling persons to enjoy their job as much as they could, thus, adapting the work environment to ensure utmost productivity coupled with patient and staff happiness. “I am usually most excited for our quarterly staff meeting; to see what new our Team has advocated and how best we can improve.”
Dr. Rampersad is a stickler for quality in the delivery of health care and provides medical care that is both patient and family oriented. He advises that, “Putting yourself in the patient’s and their family’s position helps to give an understanding of the kindness and the compassion required of our personnel. Think of the patient in bed as your mother or father, and you would know exactly what to do.”
Process improvement is deeply important to Dr. Rampersad. To achieve this, he inspires and leads his Team with the ultimate goal to ensure CHCm maintains its status as a world-class Cardiovascular Centre, and flourishes into one of the largest cardiac facility of its kind; working tirelessly to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with the disease.
CHCm’s Team is synonymous to Dr. Rampersad’s family and he attributes a tremendous amount of his success and the Team’s success to having a family-oriented, self-motivated and passionate work environment.
Apart from yoga and swimming, Dr. Rampersad enjoys spending quality time with his family; his three children who are his greatest blessing and whom he hopes one day will have a positive impact on the world. He makes special mention to his wife, who not only he considers to be his best friend but a crucial member of his Team; she ensures that he remains grounded and focused, and exceptionally organizes and manages his life outside of Cardiology. “I love what I do, I love helping people stay healthy and happy through my work. I could never continue my passion for Cardiology without the love and support of my family and my Team.”
– Dr. Risshi D. Rampersad, B.Sc., MB., BS, FACC, FESC, FSIAC, FSCAI.
Director of Cardiology
Director of Research, Education and Department
Interventional and Clinical Cardiologist
– Miss. Trudy Maharaj
Asst to the Account
– Ms Michelle Maharaj
Exec. Asst to MD
ABE,MHRM,SHRM,MBA
Miss Michelle Maharaj joined the Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp’s family in 1998 and currently serves as Executive Assistant and Human Resources Manager; she studied Business Administration with the Association of Business Executives and has a Masters in Human Resource Management which she obtained from Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business. She is also a member of the Society of Human Resource Management.
Miss Maharaj’s passion for helping others and understanding
AvinashRamnarine, AAT,FCCA,MBA joined the Caribbean Heart Care Medcorpteam in 1993 and is currently the Chief Operating Officer. He is a Fellow Certified Chartered Accountant and this qualification coupled with his ambitious, dedicated and meticulous approach as well as his problem solving, wise time-management and team focus skills make him an asset tothe private sector. Mr. Ramnarine alsoholdsan MBA fromthe UWI Institute of Businesswith a specialisation in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration with the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business.
Mr. Ramnarinehas special interest in knowledge transfer (which he executes through part time lecturing) and business development, which he implements atCHCm. Equally important to him is eachpatient’s access to high quality health care at low cost. This is his focus ashe managesCHCm’s facilitiesand leads the team seamlessly with a view towards an outcome of increased stakeholder value.
– Mr. Avinash RamnarineAAT,FCCA,MBA
Chief Operations Officer/ Chief Accountant
Dr. Rampersad began his tertiary education at the University of Manitoba Canada where he majored in Zoology. He then went on to pursue a medical degree at the University of the West Indies, graduating in 1978. After practicing medicine as a family practitioner for two years, he returned to university to pursue a diploma in anesthetics. He later changed his focus to business and entered an Executive MBA programme. One year into his course of business study, Dr. Rampersad was invited to pursue a programme in Management of the Heart Surgery Centre at Sheffield University in England. Upon his return to Trinidad, Dr. Rampersad commenced the Adult Heart Surgery programme at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) Mount Hope then went on to introduce the Paediatric Heart Surgery programme.
These programmes are now rated among the best in the world with morbidity and mortality rates well within international standards. To date, thousands of open-heart surgeries have been performed at the EWMSC under the auspices of Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp (CHCm). Dr. Rampersad is the Managing Director of CHCm and sits on the boards of several other companies. Despite his hectic schedule he continued his post-graduate studies in both Business and Medicine, and also obtained an LLB Honours degree in Law from the University of London in 2004. Dr. Rampersad’s conviction in the power of teamwork contributes significantly to his unique management style. He is a firm believer that employees are not only an integral part of an organisation but that they are its foundation and as such, should contribute to the decision-making process.
Over the years he has developed a model in which private and public sector health care organisations can work mutually and harmoniously with each other. This relationship with the EWMSC is unsurpassed in the Caribbean and has been successful for over 20 years. Dr. Rampersad’s commitment to maintaining good health spills over into his personal life as well, as evidenced by his steadfast physical exercise routine. He can often be seen on afternoons jogging around the EWMSC.
– Dr. Kamal Rampersad B.Sc, MB.,BS, DA, LLB(Hons)M.O.M Administrator and Managing Director
– Dr. Eleazar Garcia
Interventional Cardiologist
– Dr. Jose Martinez
Interventional Cardiologist
– Dr. Jose Murillo
Interventional Cardiologist
– Dr. William Torres MD, MTSVC, SOVECI, SOLACI
Chief Interventional Cardiologist, Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp
Director of Cardiology, Research, Education and Development (CHCm)
As the Director of Cardiology, Research and Education for Caribbean Heart Care- Medcorp (CHCm), Dr. Risshi D. Rampersad has been dedicated to St. Clair Medical Centre- Medcorp Limited (SCMC) since 2005. During his tenure, he became the forefront of Cardiology and established CHCm’s Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology Departments. He is also crucial to CHCm’s Research, Education and Development Department and his work has been published in renowned International Medical Journals.
Dr. Rampersad is a graduate of McGill University, The University of the West Indies and Ascardio Cardiovascular Teaching Hospital, in Venezuela. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), European Society of Cardiology (FESC), Inter-American Society of Cardiology and Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and holds membership in several International Cardiology Societies: the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC), British Cardiovascular Society (BSC), Venezuelan Society of Cardiology (SCV), Society of Interventional Cardiology of Venezuela (SOVECI), and European Association of Percutaneous Interventions (EAPCI). He frequently asserts, however, that accolades such as these mean nothing unless you have a passion for and thoroughly enjoy what you do. That is what allows for the best health care and superior patient satisfaction.
A visionary, Dr. Rampersad pioneered the First Primary Angioplasty Team (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Team) in Trinidad and Tobago. His stewardship of this Team has helped save the lives of many patients suffering with an acute heart attack. He says, “Being a part of this team is one of the most gratifying facets of my job; our hearts are truly set on saving lives. Knowing, and seeing our patients get back to normal daily lives with their loved ones is thrilling. Our Clinical and Administrative Team really deserves all praises as they are unseen heroes.
Through his passion for saving persons from heart attacks, Dr. Rampersad continues to initiate and develop other successful Heart and Vascular programs including: Interventional Neuroradiology/ Radiology, Vascular and Endovascular, Electrophysiology and Structural Heart Disease and Echocardiology. It should be noted, that the Echocardiology Department comprises a Team of highly skilled Echocardiographers in the Caribbean, who have, to the date of publishing this, performed over 4000 Stress Echos, since 2009, and have done over 30,000 Echos on cardiovascular patients. The Research, Education and Development Department has also published a multitude of articles, and continues to grow and make tremendous clinical and academic impact on Cardiovascular Disease, in Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr. Rampersad and his Team have also successfully executed many first-time procedures in the English speaking Caribbean. In 2015, they implanted the first TAVI, which is the replacement of the aortic heart valve, without open surgery but through intervention in the leg.
Since 2017, he has worked regionally through his company, Heart and Vascular Imaging Caribbean (HaVIC), to provide Cardiovascular Care to thousands of patients in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Grenada.
Dr. Rampersad has a knack for motivating his Team, and that results in them going beyond their call of duty. He trusts in the Golden Rule, “do onto others as you would have them do onto you,” which is directly attributable to his teams continued growth in experience and commitment to saving lives. He is also known to fosters laughter in the workplace and believes in the importance of enabling persons to enjoy their job as much as they could, thus, adapting the work environment to ensure utmost productivity coupled with patient and staff happiness. “I am usually most excited for our quarterly staff meeting; to see what new our Team has advocated and how best we can improve.”
Dr. Rampersad is a stickler for quality in the delivery of health care and provides medical care that is both patient and family oriented. He advises that, “Putting yourself in the patient’s and their family’s position helps to give an understanding of the kindness and the compassion required of our personnel. Think of the patient in bed as your mother or father, and you would know exactly what to do.”
Process improvement is deeply important to Dr. Rampersad. To achieve this, he inspires and leads his Team with the ultimate goal to ensure CHCm maintains its status as a world-class Cardiovascular Centre, and flourishes into one of the largest cardiac facility of its kind; working tirelessly to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with the disease.
CHCm’s Team is synonymous to Dr. Rampersad’s family and he attributes a tremendous amount of his success and the Team’s success to having a family-oriented, self-motivated and passionate work environment.
Apart from yoga and swimming, Dr. Rampersad enjoys spending quality time with his family; his three children who are his greatest blessing and whom he hopes one day will have a positive impact on the world. He makes special mention to his wife, who not only he considers to be his best friend but a crucial member of his Team; she ensures that he remains grounded and focused, and exceptionally organizes and manages his life outside of Cardiology. “I love what I do, I love helping people stay healthy and happy through my work. I could never continue my passion for Cardiology without the love and support of my family and my Team.”
– Dr. Risshi D. Rampersad, B.Sc., MB., BS, FACC, FESC, FSIAC, FSCAI.
Director of Cardiology
Director of Research, Education and Department
Interventional and Clinical Cardiologist
– Dr. Satesh Ramphall
MBBCHBAO,MRCPI- Cardiologist, Pacemaker Specialist
Medic from the University of Carabobo, Venezuela. He obtained his basic knowledge of Cardiology at the Regional Cardiovascular Center. In ASCARDIO, he performed his postgraduate studies attached to Centro Occidental University in Barquisimeto Venezuela, to then move to Barcelona Spain, Autonomous University of Barcelona, where he gets a Magister in Arrhythmias and Sudden Death. He currently serves as a Professor of Postgraduate Cardiology C.C.R ASCARDIO in Barquisimeto. He is also dedicated to the areas of cardiac arrhythmias and pacemakers. He performs electrophysiological interventions for therapy like ablations with radiofrequency and special pacemakers like automatic defibrillators, implants and biventricular resynchronization.
– Dr. Sergio HernandezMSc
Electrophysiologists and cardiologist
– Dr. Fredinand PencoFRCS
Thoracic Surgeon
Dr. Nigel Hacking is an Interventional Radiologist/ Image Guided Surgeon based at Southampton University Hospitals in the UK. He has a large National Health Service practice and private practice in Southampton and London.
Over the past 20 years, he has specialised in Embolisation Therapies and is one of the world’s leading experts in Uterine Fibroid Embolisation (UFE), performing over 2500 procedures around the world. He has almost unrivalled results after Chemo Embolisation for Hepatic tumours with survival of 48 months compared with 24 months in most published series. He is also the UK Pioneer for Prostate Artery Embolisation, a very promising alternative to Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) for highly selected men with Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH). This work is performed in conjunction with Urological Surgeons. It lead to PAE receiving NICE approval in April 2018 and was published in August 2018 in the BJUI.
He has been travelling to the Caribbean since 1998 and has performed over 1000 UFE cases in Trinidad since that time. He is the founder and Managing Director of Fibroid Caribbean as well as the ‘UK Fibroid Experts’ group. Since 2009 he has also set up the first large UFE service in Sub-Saharan Africa in conjunction with the Aga Khan University Hospital Fibroid Centre based in Nairobi.
He visits Caribbean Heart Care/ St. Clair Hospital twice a year to perform UFE on women from Trinidad and the region.
– Dr. Nigel Hacking
Interventional Radiologist/ Image Guided Surgeon
– Dr. Robert Ramcharan
MB.,BS, FRCS, DM
Neurosurgeon
– Dr. Steve Mahadeo
Neurosurgeon, MB.,BS, FRCS, DM
– Dr. Tairouz Yourki
Interventional Radiologist and Neuroradiologist
Born in Florence, Italy, Dr. Teodori is a leading cardiac surgeon, with over 25 years’ experience internationally. Specialising in:coronary artery bypass graft surgery(CABG), mitral valve reconstruction, left ventricle aneurysms, treatment of post-infarct ventricular septal defects, surgery of the thoracic aorta and surgical treatment of ventricular failure, he has performed over 6,000 cardiac procedures. He is a pioneer in off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery, in CABG via mini-thoracotomy and in the use of arterial conduits for CABG.
Dr. Teodori graduated cum laude from the University of Florence Medical School in 1981 and was trained in France, where he worked for several years. From 1993 to 2002, Dr. Teodori worked at ClinicaCardiochirurgica at the University of Chieti, Italy under the Chairmanship of Dr. A. M. Calafiore. There,together with Dr. Calafiore, Dr. Teodori conducted research studies that led to the development of haematic warm cardioplegia, off-pump CABG, the use of arterial conduits for CABG as well as CABG via mini-thoracotomy.
Between 2002 and 2003, Dr. Teodori worked at the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Sant’Andrea Specialist Hospital in Rome. From 2003 to 2004 he was on call at the Department of Cardiac Surgery, SanGiovanni-MolinetteUniversity Hospital in Turin. In May 2004, he accepted the position as Director of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Maggiore dellaCarità University Hospital in Novara, Italy and continued to hold that position until October 2008. Between 1991 and 2008, Dr. Teodori also lectured as a Professor at the Universities of Florence, Chieti, Turin and East Piedmont in Italy.
From November 2008 he has held the position of Head Cardiac Surgeon at Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp Limited in Trinidad and Tobago and has performed complex cardiac surgeries at: the Eric Williams Medical Science Complex Hospital in Mount Hope, St. Clair Medical Centre in St. Clair as well as at Surgi Med Clinic in San Fernando.
Dr.Teodori is a member of several international medical societies, and has also made contributions on editorial boards as reviewer for noted medical journals like ‘Annals of Thoracic Surgery’. His work, particularly in CABG surgery, has led to more than 65 peer-reviewed publications as well as over 100 abstracts and papers, presentations at scientific meetings and chapters in medical texts.
– Dr. Giovanni Teodori
Chief Cardiac Surgeon, MD Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Dr. Anand Rampersad MB, BCh, FRCSI
Cardio-Vascular Surgeon
Dr. Anand Rampersad is a graduate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland where he received his undergraduate training and graduated in 1991. In 1993, he returned to Trinidad to work in the Department of Surgery at the Port of Spain General Hospital. Eighteen months later, he returned, to the U.K. for Post-graduate training in General and Vascular Surgery and in 1997, obtained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (FRCSI). The following year, he returned to the post of Surgical Registrar at the Port of Spain General Hospital.
Dr. Rampersad left for Sao Paulo. Brazil in 2000 to complete a fellowship in renal transplantation at the Hospital do Rim y Hipertensao – the world’s largest single renal transplant centre – following which he returned to Trinidad to take up the Surgical Registrar’s post at Port of Spain General Hospital.
In 2002, he became the hospital’s Surgical Administrator and ATLS instructor, then the next year, accepted the post of Associate Lecturer, UWI. Dr. Rampersad left Port of Spain General Hospital in 2003 to join Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp Limited where he currently lends his skills to our OHS team of surgical specialists.
Dr. Rampersad has also been working closely with the new Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at CHC, having completed intensive training courses in endovascular techniques at the Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and University of Michegan, USA.
– Mr. Anand Rampersad
Cardio Vascular Surgeon MB,BCh,FRCSI
– Dr. Natasha Rahaman
BA.MBBCh.BAO(Hons) MRCS(Ed) FRCS(CTh)
Consultant Heart Surgeon
Dr. Rahaman-Ganga is a 1993 National Scholarship recipient, who left Trinidad to study medicine in Ireland at Trinity College, University of Dublin. She then went to the United Kingdom to complete her Basic Surgical Training program in Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
A member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS Ed), she later specialized in cardiothoracic surgery at the Bristol Heart Institute.
Dr. Rahaman-Ganga is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Cardiothoracic Surgery – FRCS (CTh) and currently works as a cardiac surgeon with the Caribbean Heart Care team.
Dr Burgos is a consultant intensivist and is in charge of our patient care in the ICU. He attained his early education in USA and later gained much of his experience in Caracas as an intensivist and Emergency care physician.
Dr. Burgos profound clinical skill and patients’ evaluation is reflected in the high standards of care the patients receive in our ICU. CHCm is proud to have Dr Burgos as part of our Cardiology team working hand in hand with our Surgical, Anesthetic and Cardiology teams. His up to date knowledge in management of patients in ICU is invaluable to our service.
– Dr. Jose Burgos MD
Chief Intensivist
– Dr. Dale Maharaj
MBBS,FRCS,FICS,FICA,CWS,FACS,RPVI
Vascular Surgeon
Dr. Rampersad began his tertiary education at the University of Manitoba Canada where he majored in Zoology. He then went on to pursue a medical degree at the University of the West Indies, graduating in 1978. After practicing medicine as a family practitioner for two years, he returned to university to pursue a diploma in anesthetics. He later changed his focus to business and entered an Executive MBA programme. One year into his course of business study, Dr. Rampersad was invited to pursue a programme in Management of the Heart Surgery Centre at Sheffield University in England. Upon his return to Trinidad, Dr. Rampersad commenced the Adult Heart Surgery programme at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) Mount Hope then went on to introduce the Paediatric Heart Surgery programme.
These programmes are now rated among the best in the world with morbidity and mortality rates well within international standards. To date, thousands of open-heart surgeries have been performed at the EWMSC under the auspices of Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp (CHCm). Dr. Rampersad is the Managing Director of CHCm and sits on the boards of several other companies. Despite his hectic schedule he continued his post-graduate studies in both Business and Medicine, and also obtained an LLB Honours degree in Law from the University of London in 2004. Dr. Rampersad’s conviction in the power of teamwork contributes significantly to his unique management style. He is a firm believer that employees are not only an integral part of an organisation but that they are its foundation and as such, should contribute to the decision-making process.
Over the years he has developed a model in which private and public sector health care organisations can work mutually and harmoniously with each other. This relationship with the EWMSC is unsurpassed in the Caribbean and has been successful for over 20 years. Dr. Rampersad’s commitment to maintaining good health spills over into his personal life as well, as evidenced by his steadfast physical exercise routine. He can often be seen on afternoons jogging around the EWMSC.
– Dr. Kamal Rampersad B.Sc, MB.,BS, DA, LLB(Hons)M.O.M Administrator and Managing Director
– Dr. Eleazar Garcia
Interventional Cardiologist
– Dr. Jose Martinez
Interventional Cardiologist
– Dr. William Torres MD, MTSVC, SOVECI, SOLACI
Chief Interventional Cardiologist, Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp
Director of Cardiology, Research, Education and Development (CHCm)
As the Director of Cardiology, Research and Education for Caribbean Heart Care- Medcorp (CHCm), Dr. Risshi D. Rampersad has been dedicated to St. Clair Medical Centre- Medcorp Limited (SCMC) since 2005. During his tenure, he became the forefront of Cardiology and established CHCm’s Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology Departments. He is also crucial to CHCm’s Research, Education and Development Department and his work has been published in renowned International Medical Journals.
Dr. Rampersad is a graduate of McGill University, The University of the West Indies and Ascardio Cardiovascular Teaching Hospital, in Venezuela. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), European Society of Cardiology (FESC), Inter-American Society of Cardiology and Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and holds membership in several International Cardiology Societies: the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC), British Cardiovascular Society (BSC), Venezuelan Society of Cardiology (SCV), Society of Interventional Cardiology of Venezuela (SOVECI), and European Association of Percutaneous Interventions (EAPCI). He frequently asserts, however, that accolades such as these mean nothing unless you have a passion for and thoroughly enjoy what you do. That is what allows for the best health care and superior patient satisfaction.
A visionary, Dr. Rampersad pioneered the First Primary Angioplasty Team (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Team) in Trinidad and Tobago. His stewardship of this Team has helped save the lives of many patients suffering with an acute heart attack. He says, “Being a part of this team is one of the most gratifying facets of my job; our hearts are truly set on saving lives. Knowing, and seeing our patients get back to normal daily lives with their loved ones is thrilling. Our Clinical and Administrative Team really deserves all praises as they are unseen heroes.
Through his passion for saving persons from heart attacks, Dr. Rampersad continues to initiate and develop other successful Heart and Vascular programs including: Interventional Neuroradiology/ Radiology, Vascular and Endovascular, Electrophysiology and Structural Heart Disease and Echocardiology. It should be noted, that the Echocardiology Department comprises a Team of highly skilled Echocardiographers in the Caribbean, who have, to the date of publishing this, performed over 4000 Stress Echos, since 2009, and have done over 30,000 Echos on cardiovascular patients. The Research, Education and Development Department has also published a multitude of articles, and continues to grow and make tremendous clinical and academic impact on Cardiovascular Disease, in Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr. Rampersad and his Team have also successfully executed many first-time procedures in the English speaking Caribbean. In 2015, they implanted the first TAVI, which is the replacement of the aortic heart valve, without open surgery but through intervention in the leg.
Since 2017, he has worked regionally through his company, Heart and Vascular Imaging Caribbean (HaVIC), to provide Cardiovascular Care to thousands of patients in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Grenada.
Dr. Rampersad has a knack for motivating his Team, and that results in them going beyond their call of duty. He trusts in the Golden Rule, “do onto others as you would have them do onto you,” which is directly attributable to his teams continued growth in experience and commitment to saving lives. He is also known to fosters laughter in the workplace and believes in the importance of enabling persons to enjoy their job as much as they could, thus, adapting the work environment to ensure utmost productivity coupled with patient and staff happiness. “I am usually most excited for our quarterly staff meeting; to see what new our Team has advocated and how best we can improve.”
Dr. Rampersad is a stickler for quality in the delivery of health care and provides medical care that is both patient and family oriented. He advises that, “Putting yourself in the patient’s and their family’s position helps to give an understanding of the kindness and the compassion required of our personnel. Think of the patient in bed as your mother or father, and you would know exactly what to do.”
Process improvement is deeply important to Dr. Rampersad. To achieve this, he inspires and leads his Team with the ultimate goal to ensure CHCm maintains its status as a world-class Cardiovascular Centre, and flourishes into one of the largest cardiac facility of its kind; working tirelessly to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with the disease.
CHCm’s Team is synonymous to Dr. Rampersad’s family and he attributes a tremendous amount of his success and the Team’s success to having a family-oriented, self-motivated and passionate work environment.
Apart from yoga and swimming, Dr. Rampersad enjoys spending quality time with his family; his three children who are his greatest blessing and whom he hopes one day will have a positive impact on the world. He makes special mention to his wife, who not only he considers to be his best friend but a crucial member of his Team; she ensures that he remains grounded and focused, and exceptionally organizes and manages his life outside of Cardiology. “I love what I do, I love helping people stay healthy and happy through my work. I could never continue my passion for Cardiology without the love and support of my family and my Team.”
– Dr. Risshi D. Rampersad, B.Sc., MB., BS, FACC, FESC, FSIAC, FSCAI.
Director of Cardiology
Director of Research, Education and Department
Interventional and Clinical Cardiologist
– Dr. Carlos Calderas
MD, SOVECI
Endovascular, Structural Heart disease Interventionalist and Interventional Cardiologist
Professor Angelini qualified as a mechanical engineer prior to obtaining his degree in medicine from the University of Siena, Italy, in 1979. Following training in Florence he decided to pursue his career in the UK. After six months intensive language course he obtained his first junior post in London and later became a Registrar at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where he undertook most of his training.
After a year spent in Rotterdam at the Erasmus University training in pediatric cardiac surgery and transplantation he was appointed as a Senior Lecturer/Consultant at the University of Sheffield. In 1992 he was appointed to the British Heart Foundation Chair of Cardiac Surgery in the University of Bristol, and when the Bristol Heart Institute was opened in October 1995 he became its Head. In 2003 he was awarded the ”Cavaliere Order of Merit of Italy” in recognition of his contribution to medicine.
In 2005 Professor Angelini and his team received the UK “Surgical Team of the Year Award” In 2008 and again in 2011 he led the successful bid for the NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Cardiovascular Medicine in Bristol and he was appointed as Director. In 2009 he was selected as an NIHR Senior Investigator. Professor Gianni Angelini was recruited in January 2010 as Clinical Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Head of Cardiac Surgery in the National Heart and Lung Institute Imperial College London based at the Hammersmith Campus In 2011 he was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
– Professor Gianni Angelini MD,MCh,FRCS,FETCS, FMed Sci
Born in Florence, Italy, Dr. Teodori is a leading cardiac surgeon, with over 25 years’ experience internationally. Specialising in:coronary artery bypass graft surgery(CABG), mitral valve reconstruction, left ventricle aneurysms, treatment of post-infarct ventricular septal defects, surgery of the thoracic aorta and surgical treatment of ventricular failure, he has performed over 6,000 cardiac procedures. He is a pioneer in off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery, in CABG via mini-thoracotomy and in the use of arterial conduits for CABG.
Dr. Teodori graduated cum laude from the University of Florence Medical School in 1981 and was trained in France, where he worked for several years. From 1993 to 2002, Dr. Teodori worked at ClinicaCardiochirurgica at the University of Chieti, Italy under the Chairmanship of Dr. A. M. Calafiore. There,together with Dr. Calafiore, Dr. Teodori conducted research studies that led to the development of haematic warm cardioplegia, off-pump CABG, the use of arterial conduits for CABG as well as CABG via mini-thoracotomy.
Between 2002 and 2003, Dr. Teodori worked at the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Sant’Andrea Specialist Hospital in Rome. From 2003 to 2004 he was on call at the Department of Cardiac Surgery, SanGiovanni-MolinetteUniversity Hospital in Turin. In May 2004, he accepted the position as Director of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Maggiore dellaCarità University Hospital in Novara, Italy and continued to hold that position until October 2008. Between 1991 and 2008, Dr. Teodori also lectured as a Professor at the Universities of Florence, Chieti, Turin and East Piedmont in Italy.
From November 2008 he has held the position of Head Cardiac Surgeon at Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp Limited in Trinidad and Tobago and has performed complex cardiac surgeries at: the Eric Williams Medical Science Complex Hospital in Mount Hope, St. Clair Medical Centre in St. Clair as well as at Surgi Med Clinic in San Fernando.
Dr.Teodori is a member of several international medical societies, and has also made contributions on editorial boards as reviewer for noted medical journals like ‘Annals of Thoracic Surgery’. His work, particularly in CABG surgery, has led to more than 65 peer-reviewed publications as well as over 100 abstracts and papers, presentations at scientific meetings and chapters in medical texts.
– Dr. Giovanni Teodori
Chief Cardiac Surgeon, MD Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Dr. Anand Rampersad MB, BCh, FRCSI
Cardio-Vascular Surgeon
Dr. Anand Rampersad is a graduate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland where he received his undergraduate training and graduated in 1991. In 1993, he returned to Trinidad to work in the Department of Surgery at the Port of Spain General Hospital. Eighteen months later, he returned, to the U.K. for Post-graduate training in General and Vascular Surgery and in 1997, obtained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (FRCSI). The following year, he returned to the post of Surgical Registrar at the Port of Spain General Hospital.
Dr. Rampersad left for Sao Paulo. Brazil in 2000 to complete a fellowship in renal transplantation at the Hospital do Rim y Hipertensao – the world’s largest single renal transplant centre – following which he returned to Trinidad to take up the Surgical Registrar’s post at Port of Spain General Hospital.
In 2002, he became the hospital’s Surgical Administrator and ATLS instructor, then the next year, accepted the post of Associate Lecturer, UWI. Dr. Rampersad left Port of Spain General Hospital in 2003 to join Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp Limited where he currently lends his skills to our OHS team of surgical specialists.
Dr. Rampersad has also been working closely with the new Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at CHC, having completed intensive training courses in endovascular techniques at the Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and University of Michegan, USA.
– Mr. Anand Rampersad
Cardio Vascular Surgeon MB,BCh,FRCSI
– Dr. Natasha Rahaman
BA.MBBCh.BAO(Hons) MRCS(Ed) FRCS(CTh)
Consultant Heart Surgeon
Dr. Rahaman-Ganga is a 1993 National Scholarship recipient, who left Trinidad to study medicine in Ireland at Trinity College, University of Dublin. She then went to the United Kingdom to complete her Basic Surgical Training program in Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
A member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS Ed), she later specialized in cardiothoracic surgery at the Bristol Heart Institute.
Dr. Rahaman-Ganga is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Cardiothoracic Surgery – FRCS (CTh) and currently works as a cardiac surgeon with the Caribbean Heart Care team.
– Mr Sunil Buchoon
B.Sc., MBA
Perfusionist
– Dr. Rodrick Bhagan
Consultant Anaesthetist
– Dr. Johnny Orozco
MD
Intensivist
Dr Burgos is a consultant intensivist and is in charge of our patient care in the ICU. He attained his early education in USA and later gained much of his experience in Caracas as an intensivist and Emergency care physician.
Dr. Burgos profound clinical skill and patients’ evaluation is reflected in the high standards of care the patients receive in our ICU. CHCm is proud to have Dr Burgos as part of our Cardiology team working hand in hand with our Surgical, Anesthetic and Cardiology teams. His up to date knowledge in management of patients in ICU is invaluable to our service.
– Dr. Jose Burgos MD
Chief Intensivist
Dr. Rampersad began his tertiary education at the University of Manitoba Canada where he majored in Zoology. He then went on to pursue a medical degree at the University of the West Indies, graduating in 1978. After practicing medicine as a family practitioner for two years, he returned to university to pursue a diploma in anesthetics. He later changed his focus to business and entered an Executive MBA programme. One year into his course of business study, Dr. Rampersad was invited to pursue a programme in Management of the Heart Surgery Centre at Sheffield University in England. Upon his return to Trinidad, Dr. Rampersad commenced the Adult Heart Surgery programme at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) Mount Hope then went on to introduce the Paediatric Heart Surgery programme.
These programmes are now rated among the best in the world with morbidity and mortality rates well within international standards. To date, thousands of open-heart surgeries have been performed at the EWMSC under the auspices of Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp (CHCm). Dr. Rampersad is the Managing Director of CHCm and sits on the boards of several other companies. Despite his hectic schedule he continued his post-graduate studies in both Business and Medicine, and also obtained an LLB Honours degree in Law from the University of London in 2004. Dr. Rampersad’s conviction in the power of teamwork contributes significantly to his unique management style. He is a firm believer that employees are not only an integral part of an organisation but that they are its foundation and as such, should contribute to the decision-making process.
Over the years he has developed a model in which private and public sector health care organisations can work mutually and harmoniously with each other. This relationship with the EWMSC is unsurpassed in the Caribbean and has been successful for over 20 years. Dr. Rampersad’s commitment to maintaining good health spills over into his personal life as well, as evidenced by his steadfast physical exercise routine. He can often be seen on afternoons jogging around the EWMSC.
– Dr. Kamal Rampersad B.Sc, MB.,BS, DA, LLB(Hons)M.O.M Administrator and Managing Director