Michael E Merhige

Biography:

Michael E. Merhige MD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Nuclear Medicine at the State University of New York at Buffalo and Chief Executive Officer at Michael E. Merhige MD, Coronary Disease Prevention and Reversal. He has been performing cardiac PET since 1986. He is a Fellow of the American Cardiology and American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, presently in outpatient Cardiology practice, focusing on coronary disease prevention and reversal, using quantitative PETMPI to guide coronary revascularization decisions.After his BA degree in Biology at the University of Rochester in New York in 1973, he completed the MS in Cell Biology at the University of Kentucky with his thesis: “The Manduca Sexta labial gland: a terminally differentiated insect cell system”. He graduated with honors at UK College of Medicine in 1980, completed internal medicine residency at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and then cardiology fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston in Texas, followed by an NIH research fellowship under K.Lance Gould MD, before joining the full time academic faculty there.In 1989 he transitioned to private practice, moving to Buffalo New York as Chief of Nuclear Cardiology at Buffalo Cardiology Associates, establishing one of the first out-patient cardiac PET centers in the US in 1995.After going into solo practice in 2000, he became Director of the Heart Center of Niagara in Niagara Falls, NY, providing cardiac PET studies 24/7/365 in the emergency department of Niagara Falls Memorial hospital. There death rates fell from 16 to 3% for chest pain patients in the ED following the introduction of cardiac PET.After the international recall of Rubidium-82 in 2011, he moved to his current outpatient cardiology practice driven by quantitative PET perfusion imaging and coronary flow capacity to guide revascularization decisions. His current research interests include noninvasive coronary revascularization in patients with chronic total coronary occlusion using external counterpulsation, to be presented at this Second International Heart Conference.