For Dr. Roger Blumenthal and Dr. Wendy Post of Homeland, keeping hearts healthy is a family and professional affair. The husband and wife team of cardiologists takes care of patients at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in downtown Baltimore.
The two consider their work at the Timonium-based Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease part of a special mission. The Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center is located in the same facility as the Maryland Athletic Club (MAC) fitness club. Both Post and Blumenthal said that the club offers patients Hopkins-caliber medical care in a setting that supports exercise and other lifestyle changes that help healthy hearts stay strong, and help ailing hearts recover.
"What we have going with the MAC is definitely a partnership devoted to wellness," Blumenthal said. "The owners and staff at the MAC support what we do, and we try to support them. It's a win-win situation for our patients."
MAC owners Tim and Liz Rhode strongly agree with Blumenthal's comments. In fact, the Phoenix residents have chosen the couple to be the honorees for this year's "Sweats and Sneakers Gala," set for 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, at the MAC, on 110 West Timonium Road.
"The focal point of this event is to acknowledge Dr. Post and Dr. Blumenthal for their achievements," Tim Rhode said. "Roger and Wendy are clearly the area's unsung heroes in preventive cardiology."
Proceeds from the gala will benefit the Ciccarone Center. The center was established in 1989 in the memory of Henry Ciccarone, The Johns Hopkins University's Hall of Fame lacrosse coach who died at age 50 after a third heart attack.
Blumenthal, an avid lacrosse fan now and during his days as an undergraduate at JHU, was the driving force behind the establishment of the center. "When coach Ciccarone died, his friends raised money to start the center, which combines the excellence of Hopkins' lacrosse with the best of Hopkins medicine," said Blumenthal, who now serves as the center's director of preventive cardiology.
After 12 years, the Ciccarone Center is still dedicated to research, education, and clinical care for the prevention of heart disease.
Patients come to the center for assessment of their heart health, to be treated for various conditions and to participate in cardiac rehabilitation programs following a heart attack or other cardiac "event."
"Following a heart attack, some patients begin rehabilitation through exercising under supervision here," Post said. "Then, when they're ready, they can move over to the MAC and begin a program. This is another example of how we work as a team."
Blumenthal and Post practice hands-on patient care during their days at the Ciccarone Center. They are also avidly interested in research into various causes of and treatments for heart disease and in educating other healthcare providers and laypeople about heart health.
Post is involved in a major National Institutes of Health study, the Multiethnic Study of Arteriosclerosis, which is evaluating the ability of high-tech imaging techniques to detect arteriosclerosis before it becomes symptomatic.
Post graduated from Harvard College and moved on to earn her medical degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and a master's degree in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.
She is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and associate director of cardiac CT in the department of medicine at Johns Hopkins.
Blumenthal specializes in treating adults who are considered "high risk" for future cardiac events because of past heart disease, family history, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and/or high cholesterol levels.
His research interests include the effects of hormone replacement therapy on coronary heart disease risk and the development of new strategies to optimize the management of heart disease risk factors.
Blumenthal is an associate professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received his undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University, and earned his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College.
Both physicians are honored to have been selected as "Sweats and Sneakers" gala's honorees.
"It's nice to be honored, but even more, we hope that the gala will bring attention to the issue of prevention of heart disease," Post said. "That's the most important aspect of all of this."
Post and Blumenthal spend time with their son, two-year-old Ross Evan Blumenthal, when they are not busy treating heart patients or researching the causes of heart disease. The "Sweats and Sneakers Gala" will feature live music by swing and calypso bands, gambling tables, a silent and live auction, food and beverage and other entertainment.
Tickets are $75 now and $85 at the door the evening of the event.
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