Susel Rodriguez Ortega, MD

Originally from the Midwest, Dr. Brogno attended the University of Michigan for both his undergraduate and medical school education, graduating with an M.D. degree in 1983. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, where he earned the award of Best Teacher and was selected to be the Chief Medical Resident. After completing his fellowship in Cardiology at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York, Dr. Brogno performed an additional fellowship in interventional cardiology, participating in key research studies such as the Coronary Artery Surgery Study, the CAPTIN trial, and the SHOCK trial. He published articles about his research in prestigious medical journals including the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and the New England Journal of Medicine. In 1991, Dr. Brogno joined the practice, when it was the Ramapo Cardiology Associates, as an Interventional Cardiologist. During his 20 years of practice in Rockland County, Dr. Brogno has been instrumental in improving cardiac care for area residents. He spearheaded the drive to bring advanced cardiac services, such as angioplasty and cardiac surgery, to the county, and was the initial Chief of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab and Interventional Director of the Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. In appreciation of his service, he was honored by Good Samaritan Hospital with the 2008 Sister Joseph Rita Award for Outstanding Care. Dr. Brogno is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Columbia University and an Attending Physician in Interventional Cardiology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. In addition, he is the Chief of Cardiology at Nyack Hospital (a Columbia affiliate) and an Attending Physician in Cardiology at both Good Samaritan Hospital and The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ. He lives with his wife Nancy and their two daughters in Nyack, where they have resided for the last 20 years.

Dr. Muschel was an original member and attending physician of the practice when it was established in 1987 as the Ramapo Cardiology Associates. He has over 25 years of experience in the field of preventive cardiology, with a focus on cholesterol management to keep hearts strong and to restore health after a heart attack or other cardiac event. Dr. Muschel received all of his medical education and specialty training at the renowned Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, completing fellowships in clinical cardiology in 1986 and in nuclear and non-invasive cardiology in 1987. During this time, he received the prestigious Robert Loeb Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. In addition, he co-authored several articles on myocardial imaging that appeared in publications including the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, and Circulation (a publication of the American Heart Association). Dr. Muschel also has a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Yeshiva College in New York where he received the Samual & Emily Lemler Award for Excellence in Premedical Sciences. Dr. Muschel is an assistant attending physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and an Assistant Professor in Clinical Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Torsten P. Vahl, MD, is the Director of Translational Research and an attending physician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.Dr. Vahl is board-certified in interventional cardiology, cardiovascular disease, echocardiography, and internal medicine. He specializes in the percutaneous treatment of coronary artery disease and structural heart disease, including cardiac catheterization. His primary focus areas include transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter mitral valve repair and replacement (TMVR), and left atrial appendage closure.Dr. Vahl is involved in preclinical and first-in-human studies through his work with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. He served as the national principal investigator for the ALIGN-AR trial, following his involvement in the device's preclinical research. He also proctors other interventional cardiologists on TAVR using the Trilogy valve and on TMVR with the Cephea valve. In the area of left atrial appendage closure, he has helped develop an intracardiac echo program that enables patients to undergo the procedure without general anesthesia or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).Dr. Vahl earned his medical degree from Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany. He completed his residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He then completed fellowships in interventional cardiology and structural interventional cardiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.