42nd annual cardiology symposium held in Madera

For The Madera Tribune

Renowned experts in the field of cardiology gather at the 42nd annual Fresno-Madera Medical Society cardiology symposium at the Madera County Superintendent of Schools Building Conference Center after speaking on September 10. Standing from left are Ty Gluckman MD, Eldrin Lewis MD, Ranjit S. Rajpal MD, Joseph Thomas MD. Seated from left are Alfred Valles MD, Kevin Bran MD, Gagan S. Rajpal MD.

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Local interventional cardiologist, Ranjit Singh Rajpal, M.D. recently organized the 42nd annual cardiology symposium, known as “Cardiovascular Update,” in Madera on behalf of the Fresno-Madera Medical Society.

The symposium was held at the Madera County Superintendent of Schools Building Conference Center on September 10, and drew local attendees from throughout the Central Valley as well as national and international participants.

As the FMMS Cardiovascular Update symposium founder, Dr. Rajpal has served as the Program Director for more than 40 years. Cardiovascular Update is the Central Valley’s longest running cardiology symposium, and each year the symposium features leading experts in the field of cardiovascular medicine.

This year’s symposium featured four highly respected and renowned speakers: Ty Gluckman, M.D. of the Center for Cardiovascular Analytics, Research, and Data Science (CARDS), Eldrin Lewis, M.D. of the Stanford University Medical Center, Raj Makkar, M.D. of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Joseph Thomas, M.D. of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

“The FMMS cardiology symposium’s mission is to serve the CME (continuing medical education) needs of the Central Valley medical community,” Dr. Rajpal said. “Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, so the symposium is designed to create the necessary forum for cardiovascular specialists, primary care physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other allied health professionals to come together to educate and imagine solutions to better serve the heart health needs of the patients and communities we are so privileged to serve here in the Central Valley.”

Rajpal founded the symposium four decades ago and said, “It is a matter of great joy for me to see how the symposium has grown over the years and it is my great honor to hold this forum in my home in Madera. Addressing the heart health of Central Valley communities is vitally important and the symposium provides a great space for the medical community to improve the quality of care for the people of this great valley, right here in the heart of California.”

Dr. Rajpal has served as the past-president of FMMS in 2013 and currently represents the Central Valley to advocate for healthcare policy and legislative initiatives in his current role on the CMA (California Medical Association) Board of Trustees representing the constituents of District 6 which serves the Central Valley region from Stockton to Bakersfield.