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SALUTE TO PHYSICIANS

VITAS® HEALTHCARE REGIONAL - SOUTH FLORIDA VITAS® HEALTHCARE IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

Ileana Leyva, MD
Elena Valor, MD
Dr. Ileana Leyva, Regional Medical Director, VITAS®
Healthcare, oversees the care of patients in VITAS locations For 19 years, Dr. Elena Valor has worked as a part-time
throughout South Florida and Atlanta. She has more than physician for VITAS Healthcare in Miami-Dade County, first
20 years of experience in hospice and palliative medicine as a contract bed physician and now as a home care team
and pediatric care. With a bachelor’s degree in biology from physician. She also maintains a part-time internal medicine
the University of Miami, she earned her medical degree at practice in South Miami. Dr. Valor was born in Cuba and
Universidad Central del Este in the Dominican Republic earned her medical degree in 1984 at Universidad Central
and completed a residency in pediatrics at Lutheran General del Este in the Dominican Republic.
Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. She discovered palliation During her medical training and practice in internal med-
while caring for terminally ill children and became an icine and geriatrics, Dr. Valor never considered hospice care
authority, establishing a full palliative program at as a specialty—until her own father passed away.
Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Leyva was born in “Hospice care made his transition less painful, and it was
Cuba but grew up in Miami. She knew of VITAS because a family member was a patient; such an amazing experience to see him relax, not suffer and
her family loved SVP of Medical Affairs Joel Policzer. In 2017, she returned to South be able to tell me it was OK, even though he was dying. After
Florida and joined VITAS. “VITAS is creative in what we will do for patients. We do more experiencing the profound impact of hospice care within my
than 99.9 percent of other hospices.” Her priorities are education and outreach. own family, I became a believer. I decided that I wanted to make that same experience
available to every patient so that they can make the transition without pain, with pride
VITAS® HEALTHCARE IN BROWARD COUNTY and with their family members present.”

Oscar Mendez, MD PA Paul D. Pugliese, MD

It was during his residency that Oscar Mendez, M.D. P.A.,
first saw a patient transitioning to hospice. “I saw a good Trained in internal medicine and steeped in high-acuity
opportunity to follow the patient, to support the patient and specialties, Dr. Paul Pugliese has spent nearly two decades
the family. Hospice offers a continuum of care until the providing compassionate end-of-life care to South Florida
patient passes.” Dr. Mendez practices family medicine in patients and their families while educating area physicians
Broward County and sees patients in the VITAS Inpatient about the benefits of hospice care. A 1991 University of
Hospice Unit at Florida Medical Center, where he is also Miami School of Medicine graduate, Dr. Pugliese joined
medical director of the Internal Medicine Panel. Wound VITAS in 2000 after working in acute-care settings and as a
care is his specialty, but like all hospice physicians, Dr. hospitalist in Palm Beach; Broward; and St. Petersburg,
Mendez treats psychosocial and spiritual wounds, as well as Russia. “Hospice doesn’t feel like work. It feels like some-
debilitating skin ulcers that affect quality of life. He earned thing I’m supposed to do. The psychosocial and emotional
his medical degree at Universidad Libre School of Medicine connection to patients and families is what drives me now to
in Barranquilla, Colombia in 1995 and is board certified in family medicine. He joined want to practice medicine.”
VITAS in 2008, and sees too many physicians choose not to follow when their patients Influenced by Dr. Pugliese’s dual expertise in complex modalities and compassionate
transition to hospice. “Hospice is an opportunity to work with the family, provide emo- hospice care, VITAS protocols now extend high-acuity care into the homes of patients
tional support and answer all their questions. Hospice is a challenge; that’s why I like it.” who are dependent on ventilators, heart-assist devices and certain medications, improv-
ing quality of life and maintaining dignity in the terminal phase of their illness, surround-
Jack Kravitz, MD ed by family and loved ones in a peaceful setting.

Dr. Jack Kravitz, a part-time team physician with VITAS WEST BOCA MEDICAL CENTER
Healthcare in Broward County, splits his professional life
between hospice and rehab, between palliative care and cur-
ative care. It gives him a unique perspective when he coun- David A. Padden, MD
sels patients and families. “I work with very sick patients
who want hospice, and very sick patients who work toward David A. Padden, M.D., a board-certified and fellowship-
recovery in rehab. They know I see the value in both.”Dr. trained orthopaedic surgeon on staff at West Boca Medical
Kravitz earned his medical degree at George Washington Center. Dr. Padden specializes in minimally-invasive adult
University and is board certified in family practice and geri- reconstructive surgery of the hip and knee for arthritis and
atrics. He’s worked in diverse medical communities: an other ailments. His orthopaedic surgery focus includes
army hospital in the Panama Canal Zone and an Indian minimally invasive muscle-sparing anterolateral and direct
Medical Center in Gallup, New Mexico. After spending anterior total hip and knee replacement, revision joint
most of his medical career in family medicine, Dr. Kravitz replacement for both the hip and knee, and avascular necro-
sold his practice and joined VITAS in 2016. A good hospice physician, says this doctor of sis or osteonecrosis. Previously, Dr. Padden worked as an
40 years, knows how to stop talking. “I can tell them why, but they have to tell me why orthopaedic surgeon and reconstructive surgery specialist at
not. Once they tell me what’s on their mind, we can have a conversation.” Optimotion Orthopaedics in Orlando, FL. Dr. Padden com-
pleted a fellowship in arthritis and adult reconstructive sur-
gery from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, an
orthopaedic surgery residency at SUNY Health Science Center in Brooklyn, NY, and gen-
eral surgery internship at Montefiore Medical Center located in Bronx, NY. He graduated
medical school from Saint Louis University.

Elizabeth Polsinelli, DO

Elizabeth Polsinelli, D.O., is a board-certified Internal
Medicine doctor on staff at West Boca Medical Center. Dr.
Polsinelli has a particular interest in geriatrics and preven-
tive medicine. Previously, Dr. Polsinelli completed the
Internal Medicine residency program at Broward Health
Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where she also served as
Chief Resident. Dr. Polsinelli completed medical school at
the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in
Philadelphia. She is proficient in the Spanish language hav-
ing graduated from the University of Michigan with a
Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature.
Devoted to internal medicine research, Dr. Polsinelli partic-
ipated as a co-investigator in a two-year plus study on thrombosis in peripherally insert-
ed central catheters (PICC) and Midline inserted catheters. Dr. Polsinelli is a member of
the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Physicians.

18 March 2019 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News