Ascension Seton Launches Cardio-Oncology Program In Austin
AUSTIN, TX — Ascension Seton has named Dr. Yan Liu as director of the newly launched cardio-oncology program where he and his colleagues provide cardio-oncology care, and cardiac and vascular imaging to adults and geriatric patients.
Cardio-oncology is an emerging field in both oncology and cardiology that focuses on the management, mitigation or prevention of cardiovascular disease in cancer patients and cancer survivors, hospital officials explained.
“We are excited to have Dr. Yan Liu join Seton Heart Institute,” Dr. Mark Pirwitz, president and CEO of Seton Heart Institute, said in a prepared statement. “His leadership growing our cardio-oncology program offers patients advanced cardiovascular care close to home for patients who face heart problems caused by cancer treatments.”
The referral-based program at Seton Heart Institute offers inpatient and outpatient cardio-oncology care to reduce cardiovascular disease as a barrier for cancer therapies, and support cardiotoxic cancer therapeutics to seek optimal overall outcome in cancer patients, officials said. The program’s team-based, patient-centered approach includes care from Dr. Liu and a collaborative care team of medical oncologists, surgical oncologists and radiation oncologists to assist with prompt decision-making, hospital officials added.
Additionally, officials added, the cardio-oncology program offers patients access to cutting-edge cardiac imaging.
Dr. Liu was described as being passionate about providing communication-focused and evidence-based high quality care. In a provided bio, he was described as having a special interest in advanced cardiovascular care in cancer patients and survivors, complex valvular heart disease and interventional echocardiography. His goal, officials said, is to treat patients as if they are not only a family member, but an essential part of the medical decision-making team.
Dr. Liu completed his cardiology training at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he served as the Chief Cardiology Fellow and Assistant Professor. He earned his PhD in Cancer Immunology from Duke University. He serves on the editorial board of the Cardio-Oncology Journal, has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed scientific papers and is an inventor on patents that led to a clinical-stage chemo-protection drug development.
"The Ascension Seton cardio-oncology program is committed to cutting-edge patient care and patient safety, especially during COVID-19 crisis," hospital officials wrote. Ascension Seton offers timely and safe care through in-office visits with strict social distancing, or telehealth, based on the patient’s preference. Same-day, in-office imaging studies are also maximized for this purpose."
For referral or more information on the Ascension Seton Cardio-Oncology Service, call (512) 324-2715 or visit the hospital website.
Dr. Yan Liu has been named director of the newly launched cardio-oncology program at Ascension Seton, which focuses on the management, mitigation or prevention of cardiovascular disease in cancer patients.
About Ascension Texas
In Texas, Ascension operates Ascension Providence and Ascension Seton, which includes Dell Children’s Medical Center, the region’s only comprehensive children’s hospital and pediatric Level I trauma center, and Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, the region’s only Level I trauma center for adults. Ascension Seton partners with Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin and shares a common vision of transforming healthcare through a focus on quality and value.
Serving Texas for 115 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., operating 2,600 sites of care — including 146 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities — in 20 states and the District of Columbia.
Visit www.ascension.org and www.dellchildrens.net for more details.
This article originally appeared on the Austin Patch
