Providence Heart and Vascular Institute
Dr. Suzanne Hall joined Providence Heart and Vascular Institute in April 2005 to develop a new program focused on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation for women with cardiovascular disease. As the founder and former director of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center in Portland, and as former director of its sister program at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital in Tualatin, she brings a great deal of enthusiasm and experience to the task.
Dr. Hall's plans for the Women's Cardiovascular Program at Providence integrate multiple facets of cardiovascular health care, from comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation to preventive education focusing on nutrition, diabetes management, exercise and vascular wellness. Dr. Hall earned her medical degree at Oregon Health & Science University. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center, and completed a fellowship in cardiology at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City. In addition to her leadership role with Providence, she maintains a busy practice with Columbia Cardiology Associates. Dr. Hall lectures frequently throughout the community to raise awareness about the risks and symptoms of heart disease in women.
- The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program that Dr. Hall initiated at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center in 1985 was the first program in Portland to focus specifically on women who had had a heart attack, valve replacement or cardiac bypass surgery.
- Dr. Hall was the first woman to serve as president of the Legacy Meridian Park Hospital medical staff.
"My goal is to develop a specialty program that will raise awareness of the risks and symptoms of cardiovascular disease for women," says Dr. Hall. "The symptoms of a heart attack are different for women, which means their symptoms often go unrecognized. Because of that, more women than men die from their heart attacks. My hopes for this program are to heighten awareness both in the medical community and in the community at large, and to improve the care and follow-up that women with heart conditions receive."