Top Pa. heart surgeon to lead unit at LVH-Pocono
Raymond Singer
A cardiothoracic surgeon who ranks among the top 10 heart surgeons in Pennsylvania is coming to Lehigh Valley Hospital- Pocono.
The expansion is part of the introduction of the Lehigh Valley Heart Institute to LVH–Pocono’s ESSA Heart and Vascular Center.
Raymond Singer, MD, is leading the LVH–Pocono team, succeeding Dr. Nche Zama, who declined to renew his contract at LVH-Pocono. Dr. Zama helped start LVH-Pocono’s heart surgery program and served the community very well.
Singer is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
He served as Chief of LVHN’s Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and has recently been elevated to Physician-in-Chief of the Lehigh Valley Special Surgery Institute.
He has performed more than 7,000 heart and lung operations during his 25-year career at LVHN and ranks among the top 10 cardiothoracic surgeons in Pennsylvania for valve surgery volumes. “According to the most recent cardiac surgery report by Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (2014-16), patients experienced 0 percent hospital mortality under Dr. Singer’s care,” says Ronald Freudenberger, MD, physician-in-chief, the Lehigh Valley Heart Institute.
Partnering with Singer are cardiothoracic surgeons Kelly Wanamaker, MD, and John Anderson, MD. Wanamaker trained at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She is among a small percentage of female cardiothoracic surgeons nationwide and has the expertise to meet women’s unique heart health needs. Wanamaker is one of nine heart and vascular specialists at the Lehigh Valley Heart Institute who are women, which is more than any other health network in the region. She will collaborate closely with Singer, gleaning his years of expertise in treating patients with the most complex conditions.
A graduate of Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California, Anderson brings more than 40 years of diverse cardiothoracic surgery experience to the LVH–Pocono team. He has experience in adult and pediatric cardiothoracic surgery, as well as innovative forms of mitral valve repair including minimally invasive mitral and aortic valve procedures.
These surgeons — supplemented by the exceptional team of cardiologists already at LVH–Pocono — will give people access to a greater breadth and depth of heart and lung surgery treatments close to home. The team of cardiac surgeons at LVH-Pocono is supported by three highly experienced physician assistants, a dedicated cardiac anesthesiologist and an exceptional staff of nurses and operating room personnel.
For information, call 570-420-5331 or visit LVHN.org/heartcare.
