Stanislaus Medical Society top doctor says Modesto has good atmosphere to practice
.JPG "Pictured in 2003, Doctors Medical Center chief of cardiology Dr. Satnam Ludder points out a narrowing of a coronary artery on this angiogram video of a patient.")
The Stanislaus Medical Society is recognizing the career of a leading cardiologist in Modesto.
Dr. Satnam Ludder is receiving the John Darroch Award for Physician of the Year, which goes to a doctor who exemplifies high-quality medical practice, dedication to patient care and contributions to medical education.
Ludder is director of the catheterization lab at Doctors Medical Center. He served as the hospital’s chief of staff in 2006 and performed the first coronary artery stent procedure at the Modesto hospital in the 1990s.
He has since performed countless stenting procedures to open narrowed arteries for heart patients.
The cardiologist, who went to medical school in India, received his residency and fellowship training in the United States. Ludder was in a residency at the then-Cook County Hospital in Chicago, when his wife, Narinder, gave birth to triplets.
The parents did not want to raise their family in Chicago. Ludder accepted a position with Valley Heart Associates in Modesto in 1986.
Ludder explained that his wife has roots in Modesto and that the growing city seemed like a good place to live the dream. “We like the community,” he said. “It was a safe community. Our son went to Modesto High and the girls went to Central Catholic.”
He said it’s a good atmosphere for the medical profession in terms of doctors referring patients for specialty care. The Ludders raised four children who went into health professions.
Ludder has affiliations with the American College of Cardiology, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions, Stanislaus Medical Society and California Medical Association.
He has shared his medical knowledge in lectures to resident physicians in the Family Medicine Residency Program at Doctors Medical Center.
In the past 10 years, the hospital has introduced more treatments for structural heart diseases by investing in less invasive technologies. Patients who can’t have open-heart surgery due to age and other risk factors may undergo surgeries for heart disease through robotic or transcatheter procedures.
Ludder has also provided education related to the food-and-health connection. He refers to an old proverb in India that is roughly translated as “Food is disease, Food is remedy.” His recommended heart-healthy diet includes fewer processed foods, more whole foods, less saturated fat and multiple servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
In addition, cardiac mortality can be reduced through daily walking and exercise that gets the heart pumping, he said.
