Karen M. Agostino RPA-C, Cardiac Surgery

Ms. Agostino earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Northern Colorado, and a bachelor’s degree in physician assistant studies at D’Youville College, in Buffalo, N.Y. Before joining the Bassett Heart Care Institute, Ms. Agostino worked as a physician assistant at Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates, in Eugene, Oregon. She is NCCPA certified with special recognition in surgery and primary care, and is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

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Richard Jayson Amato RPA-C, Cardiac Surgery

Mr. Amato recently practiced as a Registered Physician Assistant in Oneonta, N.Y. in both Orthopedic and Emergency Medicine. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physician Assistant studies at South University in Savannah, Georgia, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and earned Student of the Year award. Mr. Amato served in the United States Navy from 1992-2000, assuming duties as a hospital corpsman, an emergency medical technician, and urology technician. He is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, and is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

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Alicia A. Beardsley F.N.P., Cardiology

Alicia A. Beardsley, Family Nurse Practitioner, has joined Bassett Healthcare’s Division of Cardiology. Beardsley previously practiced at Grinnell Medical Associates and Unity Clinic, both in Iowa. Beardsley received her nursing degree, graduating Cum Laude with Departmental Distinction, from Hartwick College in Oneonta, and her Masters of Nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at University of Iowa. Her clinical experiences were completed at Grinnell Medical Associates, Unity Clinic, Richland Clinic, and Lone Tree Nursing Home, all based in Iowa.

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Amy K. Benedict RPA-C, Cardiac Surgery

Ms. Benedict joined the Bassett Heart Care Institute as a member of the Division of Cardiac Surgery in 2005. She earned her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Elmira College, and graduated with honors with a Master of Science in physician assistant studies at Philadelphia University.

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Vivian L. Clark M.D., Interventional Cardiologist

Dr. Clark joins Bassett from the Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan, and has over 20 years of interventional cardiology experience. She is board certified in Interventional Cardiology, and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Clark was listed in “America’s Top Doctors” in Interventional Cardiology in 2001 through 2004. Dr. Clark earned her medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Akron City Hospital, and a fellowship in cardiology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

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Laura C. Colihan RPA-C, Cardiology

Prior to joining Bassett, Ms. Colihan worked with the Cardiology Associates of Northern New York in Watertown. Her other past experience includes working as a Patient Care Associate at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N. J. and as an Emergency Medical Technician in Woodbury, N.Y. Colihan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Certificate in Physician Assistant Studies at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. She is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

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Thomas E. J. Gayeski M.D., Ph.D., Director of Cardiac Anesthesiology

For 15 years Dr.Gayeski was Director of Cardiac Anesthesiology at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and a master’s degree from Princeton University, in New Jersey. Dr. Gayeski received both his medical degree and a doctorate in Cardiac Physiology from the University of Rochester. He is board certified in cardiac anesthesiology.

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Frederick Allen Hensley Jr. M.D., Chief of Anesthesiology and Chief of Perioperative Services

Before joining Bassett, Dr. Hensley had been an Anesthesiologist at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania. Prior to that, Dr. Hensley was the Anesthesiologist-in-Chief for Sinai Hospital in Baltimore from 1995 until 2000, and was director of Cardiac Anesthesiology at Penn State University College of Medicine and an Anesthesiologist at University Hospital at Penn State University from 1984 until 1995. After receiving a bachelor’s degree at the University of Scranton and a medical degree at Penn State University College of Medicine, Dr. Hensley completed his postgraduate training at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He is a Board examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. Hensley is also the primary editor of the recently published third edition of A Practical Approach to Cardiac Anesthesia. This text is widely used in daily practice by heart programs for protocols and procedures across the United States and Canada.

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Robert B. Johnson M.D., Cardiologist

Dr. Johnson is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology as well as nuclear cardiology and echocardiography. He is a member of the American College of Physicians and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Yale University and completed a residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital and cardiology fellowship at Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Johnson’s special interests include coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease.

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Robert Alan Lancey M.D., Chief of Cardiac Surgery and Co-Director Heart Care Institute

Prior to joining Bassett in August of 2002, Dr. Lancey had been a cardiac surgeon with the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Memorial Medical Center, Division of Cardiac Surgery, in Worcester, Mass. since 1993. Early in his career, Dr. Lancey trained in heart and lung transplantation at Harefield Hospital in England, at the time the highest volume heart-lung transplant center in the world. Dr. Lancey is an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and has served as Surgical Director of Cardiac Transplantation and as Director of the Off-Pump Coronary Bypass Surgery Program. He is recognized nationally and internationally as an advocate for and expert on off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. He is a fellow of The American College of Surgeons, The American College of Cardiology, and The American College of Chest Physicians, and is board certified in both general surgery and thoracic surgery.

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Christine A. McCarty-Voulo, RPA-C , Cardiology

Christine A. McCarty-Voulo, RPA-C, joined the cardiology team in the specialty of invasive diagnostics and interventional cardiology. Ms. McCarty-Voulo received physician assistant certification from the Bayley Seton Hospital Physician Assistant Training Program. Before joining Bassett, Ms. Carty-Voulo practiced at Nassau Hematology Oncology PC, in Lake Success, N.Y. and before that at Long Island Jewish Center as a senior physician assistant.

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Patrick Hugh McNulty M.D., Chief of Cardiology; Co-Director, Bassett Heart Care Institute

Patrick Hugh McNulty, M.D. has joined the Bassett Heart Care Institute as Chief of Cardiology, and Co-Director of the Institute. Dr. McNulty received his undergraduate degree from University of Notre Dame and earned his medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his internship and residency at the University Health Center of Pittsburgh. He went on to a fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and completed a research fellowship there in cardiovascular medicine and endocrinology. Dr. McNulty subsequently served ten years on the Yale School of Medicine faculty as an Assistant and Associate Professor in the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine. Immediately prior to his appointment at Bassett Healthcare, he was an interventional cardiologist and tenured Associate Professor of Medicine at the Penn State College of Medicine, as well as research director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Dr. McNulty has been recognized in his profession with numerous awards and certifications. He is board certified in internal medicine with subspecialty qualifications in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. He is a fellow of the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions. Dr. McNulty is board certified in internal medicine with subspecialty qualifications in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. He is a fellow of the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions. Dr. McNulty has been awarded twelve Research grants, with sponsorships from several sources including the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the American Heart Association. Additionally, he has 50 original papers and review articles published in journals recognized for their national and international excellence, such as the American Journal of Physiology, the American Journal of Cardiology and, Circulation.

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Dhananjai J. Menzies M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I., Interventional Cardiologist

Dhananjai J. Menzies, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and Fellow of the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and a board certified interventional cardiologist, has joined the Bassett Heart Care Institute as a member of the Division of Cardiology. Dr. Menzies completed his interventional cardiology fellowship training at Columbia-Presbyterian after which he joined the faculty of Columbia University as an Instructor of Medicine and attending physician. Dr. Menzies specializes in performing invasive procedures, such as cardiac catheterization, balloon angioplasty and stent placement in the arteries of the heart, kidney, and limbs and other areas of the body. He also closes atrial septal defects (holes in the heart). Dr. Menzies received his medical degree from Byramjee Jeejebhoy Medical College in India, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine and a Fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease at Winthrop-University Hospital, through the State University of New York at Stony Brook, N.Y. He was a clinical instructor at Winthrop-University in 2001-2003, and Chief Fellow during 2002-2003. In 2004, Dr. Menzies completed a Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, in N.Y., after which he joined the faculty at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Menzies is a member of the American College of Physicians and American College of Cardiology. He has been published in various medical journals, including Journal of Invasive Cardiology, American Journal of Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Cardiovascular Reviews and Reports.

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Jeffrey R. Murray M.D., Anesthesiologist

Before joining Bassett, Dr. Murray was an anesthesiologist at Northern Anesthesia Division, Spectrum Medical Group, Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Washington in Seattle. After receiving an undergraduate degree at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. and his medical degree at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, he completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Murray completed an anesthesiology residency and cardiac anesthesiology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Murray is a member of the following professional societies; the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists and the International Anesthesia Research Society.

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David J. Oxley M.D., F.A.C.C., Cardiologist

David J. Oxley, M.D., F.A.C.C., is board certified in internal medicine and cardiology. Dr. Oxley previously worked with Finger Lakes Medical Associates in Geneva, N.Y. and was an attending physician at Geneva General Hospital, Rochester General Hospital and Newark-Wayne Community Hospital. He completed a fellowship in cardiology at University of Rochester Medical Center-Strong Memorial Hospital and his residency and internship at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Oxley was an instructor in cardiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Oxley earned his medical degree at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He also holds a Bachelor of Science from Montclair State College in New Jersey and a Master of Science in chemistry from Purdue University in Indiana.

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Mahmood A. Quereshy M.D., Cardiologist

Mahmood Quereshy, M.D., has joined the Bassett Heart Care Institute team and sees adult patients full-time for cardiology needs at Bassett Healthcare Herkimer. Prior to joining Bassett, Dr. Quereshy had a private practice in Malone, N.Y., and was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Vermont. His practice will focus on prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, arrhythmias, cardiac risk factors, and lipid disorders. Dr. Quereshy was educated in Punjab, Pakistan and London, England. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and is Board Certified by the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Quereshy has more than thirty years of experience in cardiology care in the United States.

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John D. Rowley PA-C, Cardiology

Before joining Bassett, John D. Rowley had been a Physician Assistant with Danbury Internal Medicine Associates in Danbury, Connecticut. Mr. Rowley earned his master’s degree in Cardiac Rehabilitation and is a graduate of the Yale University School of Medicine Physician Associate Program in New Haven, Connecticut. In his professional past, he served as the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Director at Danbury Hospital from 1986 through 1993. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Springfield College and Clinical Instructor at the Yale University School of Nursing. Mr. Rowley is a fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and a Member of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

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Veronica Schmer M.D., Pediatric Cardiologist

Veronica Schmer, M.D., a board certified pediatric cardiologist, has joined Bassett Healthcare and sees patients, newborn through adolescents, in Cooperstown and at Bassett health centers throughout the region. Prior to joining Bassett, Dr. Schmer was director of pediatric cardiology at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. She also spent time recently as an attending pediatric cardiologist at Queen Sylvia Children's Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. Dr. Schmer earned her medical degree at the Universite Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. She completed an internship and residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at New York University. She is board certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics and its Sub Board in Cardiology. Dr. Schmer has been published in many scientific journals, including the American Heart Journal, Journal of Pediatrics and Journal of Perinatal Medicine. Dr. Schmer has a special interest in researching the recent increase in child obesity as a contributing factor to heart disease.

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Amit Jay Shanker M.D., Interventional Electrophysiologist

Amit J. Shanker, M.D. directs the Bassett Heart Care Institute's Center for Advanced Arrhythmia Medicine. Dr. Shanker, who comes to Bassett from Integris Baptist Heart Hospital, in Oklahoma City, Okla., attended medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, completed his internal medicine residency training at the Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, R.I. and his cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology training at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis at Barnes Hospital. Dr. Shanker has done extensive research with the National Institutes of Health, studying dangerous arrhythmias in heart failure. He has received a variety of awards for his research including publications in numerous renowned journals and reference textbooks. Dr. Shanker is board certified in electrophysiology, cardiovascular disease and internal medicine.

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Kevin G. Shortt M.D., Cardiothoracic Surgeon

Dr. Shortt joins Bassett from the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Shortt is a member of the Society for Thoracic Surgeons and the Michael E. DeBakey Surgical Society. Dr. Shortt earned his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. He completed both his General Surgery training and a cardiac research fellowship in the Department of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, where he was Chief Resident in 1997-1998. He completed his residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Additional training has included time as an Alley Sheridan Scholar at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2003. Dr. Shortt’s special interests include mitral valve reconstruction and the surgical treatment of cardiac arrhythmias.

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Rosemary A. Thomas M.D., Ph.D., Cardiologist

Prior to joining Bassett, Dr. Thomas was in private practice from 1986 to 1998 and had been an attending physician at East Carolina University School of Medicine in Greenville, NC from 1983 to 1986. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine-Cardiovascular Disease, and a Member of the American College of Physicians, American College of Cardiology, and the American Medical Women’s Association. She earned a doctorate in Physiology and a medical degree at the University of Virginia and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals. Dr. Thomas completed a Fellowship in Clinical Cardiology at the Miriam Hospital, Brown University in Providence Rhode Island and an Invasive Cardiology Fellowship at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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James R. Weaver P.A., Cardiology

Mr. Weaver earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies from Pennsylvania College of Technology. Prior to joining Bassett, he completed clinical rotations throughout the Pennsylvania area. Mr. Weaver is a fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants is certified in ACLS and CPR/AED.

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Tobin Wilcox F.N.P., Cardiac Surgery

Prior to joining Bassett, Mr. Wilcox was an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist in Cardiothoracic Surgery at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Utica, N.Y. He has worked in critical care medicine since 1990, including time as adjunct faculty at Utica College of Syracuse University where he taught Critical Care Medicine in the school of nursing. He earned a Master of Science in Nursing including the Medical-Surgical Clinical Nurse Specialist Tract with a Subspecialty in cardiology from Yale University. Mr. Wilcox also worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Critical Care Medicine at Memorial Medical Center in Meriden, Conn.

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Maryellen Wrubleski N.P., Cardiac Surgery, Director of Clinical Programs

Prior to joining Bassett, Ms. Wrubleski had worked as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in Cardiothoracic Surgery and Interventional Cardiology at U Mass Medical Center in Worcester, Mass. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing at the U Mass Medical Center and has more than 18 years experience in nursing, including as a clinical coordinator of a medical-surgical Intensive Care Unit at Hubbard Regional Hospital in Webster, Mass. Ms. Wrubleski is a member of the Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Her special interests include the study of perceived quality of life improvement post intervention, cardiac rehabilitation, and primary/secondary prevention.

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Lawrence S. Zisman M.D., F.A.C.C., Cardiologist

Lawrence S. Zisman, M.D., Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and board certified in cardiology, joined the Bassett Heart Care Institute as a heart failure specialist. Before joining Bassett, Dr. Zisman was vice president of cardiovascular research at Cytopia, Inc., in Rensselaer, N.Y. and previous to that he was the medical director of Albany Medical Center Hospital’s Heart Failure/Cardiac Transplantation Inpatient and Outpatient Service and the AMC Pulmonary Hypertension Program. Dr. Zisman graduated magna cum laude from Yale University, with his undergraduate degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. He received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y. He completed his internal medicine residency at the Westchester County Medical Center, in Valhalla, N.Y. and a cardiology fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, in Denver. He is a member of the American Heart Association’s Council on Clinical Cardiology, and Basic Science Council and the Heart Failure Society of America.

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Jerel Mark Zoltick M.D., F.A.C.C., Cardiologist

Jerel Mark Zoltick, M.D., F.A.C.C., is an attending cardiologist at Bassett healthcare. Before joining Bassett, Dr. Zoltick worked at the Pentagon in the Office of the Surgeon General as a cardiology consultant, and in the Pentagon’s Human Performance-Cardiovascular Laboratory. Dr. Zoltick is a Colonel in the Medical Corps, and had been a U.S. Army Senior Flight Surgeon and consultant for U.S. Army Aviation. He was previously on staff as a cardiologist at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C. Dr. Zoltick was an Associate Professor of Medicine at Uniform Service University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, and a clinical instructor at Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Zoltick received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, and earned his medical degree at Columbia University. He completed an internal medicine residency at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Medical Center, and a cardiology fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Zoltick was senior investigator of an Army pilot study on detection of coronary artery disease in asymptomatic males over the age of 40, and has extensively researched exercise-related sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular screening parameters for individuals performing exercise. Dr. Zoltick has been published in a variety of scientific publications, including New England Journal of Medical, Journal or the American College of Cardiology, Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, Annals of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and Military Medicine. Dr. Zoltick, a board certified cardiologist, is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, member of the American College of Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, American Heart Association, American Society of Internal Medicine, and Association of Military Surgeons.

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