NOTED HEART SURGEON DR. CARY L. STOWE NAMED MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF IRMH CARDIOVASCULAR SERVICES

On Monday, March 20, 2006, Indian River Memorial Hospital officially welcomed Cary L. Stowe, M.D. to the IRMH family during a private dinner given in his honor at the John's Island Club. More than 170 guests welcomed Dr. Stowe as IRMH President/CEO Jeffrey L. Susi introduced him as the latest addition to the growing roster of highly qualified medical staff members being hired to run the new heart program. "Every member of this organization agrees that Dr. Stowe is the absolute top choice to lead the Heart Center," Mr. Susi said. "Our entire community can be proud that local cardiac care will be under the direction of one of the country's leading heart surgeons."

"I feel honored that I have been chosen to lead this program, which has clearly been well planned and thought out over the last five years," said Dr. Stowe.

Dr. Stowe has been appointed Medical Director for Cardiovascular Surgery of the new Heart Center of Vero Beach scheduled to open at IRMH in affiliation with Duke University Health System in November 2006. Dr. Stowe will be leaving Florida Hospital Orlando, a national leader in advanced cardiac care, which ranks No. 1 in Florida and No. 4 nationally in terms of the number of open-heart surgeries they perform. He is presently director of their Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and has been a member of the board of directors of the Florida Heart Institute for nearly 20 years.

IRMH patients who need heart surgery have been sent to Florida Hospital for decades. "I have worked with many of Vero's finest physicians and have cared for their patients for many years. "I am excited to become a part of this excellent medical community," he said. "I feel like I know them very well." A complete team of medical professionals-all of whom have a long history of working with Dr. Stowe-will accompany him to IRMH. This includes a cardiovascular perfusionist, scrub nurses, surgical assistants and others, making for a seamless transition from one medical facility to another. Dr. Stowe foresees an exciting future for the Heart Center of Vero Beach. "We will start off slowly and be selective about the cases we do, but I believe the Vero Beach area has tremendous potential."

"We are extremely pleased to have Dr. Stowe join our team to direct the cardiac surgery program at IRMH," said Peter K. Smith, M.D., professor and chief, Thoracic Surgery, Duke University. "After a national search and the review of more than 60 applicants, he was the consensus selection of Duke physicians and the physician and hospital leadership of IRMH. He brings experience, skill and an exceptional surgical performance record that will ensure success, and he is highly motivated toward that same end. We have the highest expectations of him and his team, and look forward to success under his leadership."

Dr. Stowe will be applying for clinical appointment to the faculty of Duke University School of Medicine. He says that the Duke affiliation has great benefits for the patients of the Heart Center of Vero Beach. "I will be collaborating with my colleagues at Duke. This gives me the opportunity to share and discuss complex problems and cases with the entire staff at Duke, which is clearly one of the finest heart centers in the world." US News and World Report consistently ranks Duke University Medical Center as one of the top five heart centers in the nation.

Dr. Stowe attributes his passion for pursuing a career in cardiovascular surgery to his early studies under Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, one of the world's pioneers in cardiovascular surgery, and Dr. Stanley Crawford, who is known internationally for his innovative surgical techniques in the treatment of complex aortic diseases, while at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

A graduate of the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Dr. Stowe served a surgical internship and residency at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and a fellowship in peripheral and cardiovascular surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He was an instructor in surgery at Baylor and an associate of Stanley Crawford, M.D., before completing a cardiothoracic surgery residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Dr. Stowe is a member of the Steering Committee of the South Atlantic Cardiovascular Surgical Society, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery, American Medical Association, American Heart Association, Florida Medical Association and the Orange County Medical Society.

He and his wife, Patrice, have two daughters. One is a sophomore pre-med student at prestigious Washington University in St. Louis and the other is a sophomore at Winter Park High School, active on the crew team. "We're looking forward to becoming part of the Vero Beach community." And all of us are looking forward to having him here. Please join the Indian River Hospital Foundation in welcoming Dr. Stowe to our family here at IRMH.